Deaths and Injuries in Police Custody

[Andrea]

Video Shows Unarmed Black Man Pleading With Arms Raised Before Getting Shot by Police

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On Wednesday, WSVN aired a cell phone video reportedly taken moments before caregiver Charles Kinsey was shot by North Miami police. In it, Kinsey, who survived, can be see lying on the ground with his hands raised, explaining that him and the autistic man he was assisting are unarmed.

“I thought it was a mosquito bite, and when it hit me I had my hands in the air, and I’m thinking I just got shot!” Kinsey told WSVN. “And I’m saying, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me?’ and his words to me were, ‘I don’t know.’”

According to police, officers were dispatched to the scene of the shooting on Monday after getting a 911 call about a man with a gun threatening suicide.

“Arriving officers attempted to negotiate with two men on the scene, one of whom was later identified as suffering from autism,” said North Miami Police in a statement. “At some point during the on-scene negotiation, one of the responding officers discharged his weapon, striking the employee.”

According to WPLG, police later said the autistic man “had something in his hand.” In the video, Kinsey can be heard identifying the object as a toy truck.

After shooting him, Kinsey says police put him in handcuffs.

North Miami Police say the officer who shot Kinsey has been placed on administrative leave, but have not released the officer’s name or said if he will face any charges.