North Miami Police Shoot Black Man On Ground, With Arms in Air; Video Shows Moments Before Shooting

MIAMI, FL — North Miami Police are investigating the latest shooting of an unarmed black man. Video released Wednesday afternoon and drawing national attention overnight shows the man laying on his back in the middle of the street with his hands spread out in the air before he is shot in the leg.

The video did not capture the shooting, only the moments before it occurred.

A caretaker at a group home, Charles Kinsey, 47, was in the street Monday because a 23-year-old autistic man had left the facility. In the video, Kinsey is seen trying to communicate with police while flat on the ground and arms stretched in the air, explaining that the young man with him was harmless.

Kinsey is expected to recover from his injuries. But he has no idea why the officer shot him. Kinsey later told Miami's WSVN that he asked the officer why he fired the gun, and the officer said, “I don’t know.”

Outrage nationwide has grown as cell phone videos show police officers responding violently to calls involving black subjects. Some videos have ended in shootings or deaths at the hands of the officers. Similar to the most outrageous among them, the video of Kinsey getting shot makes it difficult to understand the officer's rationale.

North Miami Police officials told the press Wednesday that the case has been turned over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. The officer involved is on administrative leave.

See the video at WSVN

Police said in a statement Tuesday that officers were responding to a 911 call that a suicidal man was in the middle of the street, threatening suicide — seemingly a reference to the autistic man, who was playing with a toy truck.

When police arrived at the scene Monday, Kinsey reportedly got on his back on the ground. He can be heard in the video saying, “Rinaldo, please be still, Rinaldo. Sit down, Rinaldo. Lay on your stomach.” The young man sat crossed-legged, playing with the truck.

Kinsey's attorney, Hilton Napoleon, released the video. He told the Miami Herald that he is negotiating a settlement with the City of North Miami.