Charles Kinsey Shooting (2016)
The Charles Kinsey shooting occurred on July 18, 2016, in North Miami, Florida, when police officer Jonathan Aledda accidentally shot behavioral technician Charles Kinsey while responding to a perceived threat. Kinsey was attempting to retrieve Arnaldo Eliud Rios Soto, an autistic man who had wandered away from a nearby group home. While lying on the ground with his hands raised, Kinsey was shot in the leg as Aledda aimed at Rios, mistakenly believing he was armed with a gun instead of a toy truck. The incident sparked national outrage and became part of the broader conversation around race and police conduct, particularly in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In the aftermath, Kinsey was handcuffed and left without medical assistance for twenty minutes. Aledda was placed on paid leave, and as of late 2016, no formal disciplinary actions had been taken against him. Kinsey filed a federal lawsuit against Aledda, alleging excessive force and false arrest. Protests demanding accountability were organized, reflecting wider community concerns about police practices and the treatment of individuals with disabilities. The incident remains emblematic of ongoing discussions about law enforcement reform and the need for improved training in handling vulnerable populations.
Subject Terms
Charles Kinsey Shooting (2016)
Date: July 18, 2016
Place: North Miami, Florida
Summary
The July 2016 wounding of Charles Kinsey in an accidental police shooting in North Miami, Florida, was an incident that became part of the national debate on race and law enforcement. Kinsey, a behavioral technician who was trying to retrieve an autistic man who had wandered away from a group home where Kinsey was employed, was shot in the leg while lying on the ground with his hands raised.
Key Events
- July 18, 2016—Charles Kinsey is accidentally shot by police officer Jonathan Aledda while trying to retrieve an autistic man who wandered away from a mental health facility.
- July 21, 2016—A protest organized by the Black Lives Matter movement is held outside the North Miami police station.
- August 3, 2016—Kinsey files a federal lawsuit against Aledda, accusing him of false arrest and using excessive force.
Status
As of November 2016, officer Jonathan Aledda remained on paid leave from his position, but no formal disciplinary charges had been announced. On August 31, protestors gathered at a Miami City Council meeting to demand Aledda’s dismissal from the police force. The Miami New Times reported in late July that more than thirty thousand people had signed a series of petitions calling for the Miami Police Department to fire the officers involved in the shooting, including Aledda and Commander Emile Hollant, the officer in charge during the incident. An investigation of the incident by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was ongoing as of late 2016.
In-Depth Overview
Just before 5:00 p.m. local time on July 18, 2016, Arnaldo Eliud Rios Soto, a twenty-six-year-old autistic man living at a group home in North Miami operated by Miami Achievement Center for the Developmentally Disabled (MACtown), wandered away from the home and was followed by a forty-seven-year-old worker at the home, Charles Kinsey. Around 5:30 p.m., police received a call about an armed man threatening to commit suicide on Northeast 127th Street, near Northeast 14th Avenue. The police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was called in to respond to the situation and found Kinsey and Rios in the street about one block from the group home.
Rios was sitting in the middle of the street blocking traffic, with Kinsey attempting to approach him. Assistant Police Chief Neal Cuevas told reporters that the officers, seeing that Rios was holding an object, believed him to be armed and, aiming their rifles, ordered the two men to lie down on the ground. Kinsey complied; cell phone camera footage taken by a bystander shows Kinsey lying on the ground with his hands raised, attempting to inform officers that Rios was unarmed and was holding a toy truck. Rios did not comply with police and, a few minutes into the altercation, Officer Jonathan Aledda discharged three shots from his rifle, striking Kinsey once in the leg. After the shooting, police handcuffed both men. Kinsey was later transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for treatment.
According to comments Kinsey made to the press, when he asked an officer why he had been shot, the officer responded, "I don’t know," though this statement has not been corroborated. Media commentary connected the incident to the string of controversial violent altercations between police and African American men that inspired the Black Lives Matter and Stop the Killing movements and nationwide calls for law-enforcement reform. The day after the incident, the president of the Miami Dade Police Benevolent Union, John Rivera, provided the press with an explanation, saying that the officer who fired his weapon was aiming for the seated man, Rios, believing him to be armed, and hit Kinsey by mistake. Rivera further stated that the officer believed Kinsey’s life was in danger at the time he discharged his weapon and was acting to prevent Kinsey from being harmed.
On July 21, Black Lives Matter supporters gathered for a protest outside the North Miami police station, calling for the police to fire the officer responsible for the shooting. The following day, North Miami police later identified the shooter as four-year SWAT team veteran Aledda, who was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, as is usual procedure. Aledda released a statement through Rivera, stating, "I did what I had to do" to save Kinsey’s life when he thought it was in danger. Critics of the Miami police questioned why the officer opened fire, how the officer mistook the toy truck in the autistic man’s hand for a gun, and why officers handcuffed Kinsey after the shooting. Kinsey told reporters that he was left handcuffed on the ground for twenty minutes after being shot before he was given any medical assistance. On July 22, police announced that a second officer, Commander Emile Hollant, had been placed on leave for giving conflicting information to investigators. It was later disclosed that Hollant would not face charges. On August 3, with no news about disciplinary action from the police department, Kinsey filed suit against Aledda for violating his civil rights, using excessive force, and false arrest.
Key Figures
Jonathan Aledda: Miami SWAT officer who accidentally shot Kinsey.
Emile Hollant: Police commander briefly suspended for giving conflicting statements to investigators working on the case.
Arnaldo Eliud Rios Soto: Autistic man who wandered away from his North Miami group home, resulting in the shooting of his caregiver, Kinsey.
Bibliography
Alvarado, F., Miller, M. E., & Berman, M. (2016, July 21). North Miami police shoot black man who said his hands were raised while he tried to help autistic group-home resident. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/21/fla-police-shoot-black-man-with-his-hands-up-as-he-tries-to-help-autistic-patient/
Berman, M., & Larimer, S. (2016, July 22). Second North Miami police officer on leave for "conflicting statements" about shooting of unarmed man. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/07/22/officials-put-second-north-miami-police-officer-on-leave-for-conflicting-statements-about-shooting-of-unarmed-man/
Karimi, F. (2016, July 25). Man with autism not sleeping, eating after North Miami shooting, family says. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/24/health/north-miami-police-charles-kinsey-shooting/
Rabin, C. (2016, July 20). Cop shoots caretaker of autistic man playing in the street with toy truck. Miami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article90905442.html
Rabin, C. (2016, August 5). Charles Kinsey was shot less than six minutes after police arrived. Miami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article94009242.html
Spencer, T. (2016, July 22). Shooting highlights police trouble spotting autism traits. Yahoo! News. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/witness-police-shooting-says-tried-warn-officers-071336347.html
Wing, N. (2016, July 23). The most disturbing part about the Charles Kinsey police shooting. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/charles-kinsey-shooting‗us‗57911026e4b0bdddc4d39718