Police Officers Shot an Unarmed Therapist as He Was Helping an Autistic Patient

An unarmed, black behavioral therapist, Charles Kinsey, was shot by police in Miami earlier today. Not only was he weaponless, but cell phone footage of the incident clearly shows him on the ground with his hands in the air before being shot. While the shooting was not recorded, the moments leading up to the shooting were and it's evident he was not dangerous.

Kinsey was attempting to comfort a patient with autism who had escaped a group home. From a hospital bed recovering from his injuries, Kinsey told local news WSVN 7 Miami that he actually feared more for the patient's safety than his own since the patient was holding a toy truck; Kinsey was concerned officers might mistake the toy for a weapon. To his surprise, considering he had his hands raised and was explaining the situation vocally to responding officers, he was shot while on the ground.

After Kinsey was shot in the leg, his ordeal didn't end. Police rushed to him and cuffed him — literally as he was bleeding; he waited 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Kinsey is lucky and grateful to be alive. Kinsey's shooting marks another tragedy during an already tense month between police and civilians. Alton Sterling was killed by police in Baton Rouge, LA, and less than 24 hours later Philando Castile was killed by police in Falcon Heights, MN. Just days after their deaths, five police officers were killed in Dallas. The past month our nation has been inundated with violence, but it is a welcomed relief that Kinsey survived.