Convicted North Miami Police Officer To Be Fired

NORTH MIAMI, FL — A North Miami Police officer, who was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge earlier this week in connection with the July 2016 shooting of behavioral therapist Charles Kinsey, will be fired, according to Major Annmarie Cardona of the agency.

Officer Jonathan Aledda was found guilty of misdemeanor culpable negligence by the Miami-Dade County jury but was found not guilty of the more serious felony charges of attempted manslaughter.

"We respect the criminal justice system and we are empathetic to the feelings of all who have been affected by this tragic incident," Cardona said in a statement. "This case has impacted us all as a community.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has said the community was "traumatized" by the shooting. Aledda was retried over the incident after a jury failed to return a verdict in an earlier proceeding on three of four charges.

Aledda and other North Miami officers were dispatched when a patient requiring 24-hour, one-on-one supervision left the Miami Achievement Center for the Developmentally Disabled with a silver toy tanker truck in hand.

Kinsey, the patient's behavioral therapist, was attempting to get the patient back into the facility when he was shot by mistake. The initial 9-1-1 report described the patient as possibly suicidal with a silver weapon in his hand.

Aledda insisted that he fired three shots from his Colt M4 Carbine rifle because he mistook the shiny toy truck for a handgun.

Speaking to WPLG-TV, Kinsey agreed with the decision to fire Aledda.

"I think they did the right thing. I believe he shouldn’t be an officer," Kinsey told the news crew. "The situation could have been handled a whole lot better than what had happened."

Prosecutors argued that Officer Aledda was not in a position to correctly assess the situation or in a position to accurately fire from 152 feet away.

"The North Miami Police Department has provided Officer Aledda with a notice of intent to terminate," said Cardona. "Effective immediately, his status has been changed to administrative leave without pay."

The officer was arrested following a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.

"The North Miami Police Department will continue its mission of building community trust and partnerships," added Cardona. "Together, we will progress through healing and peace."