The mother of a man who was shot by Miami Police officers Thursday said she was only trying to protect her son when law enforcement came to her home in Model City.
Police responded to the area of Northwest 7th Court and 58th Street to a man possibly on drugs.
On a witness's cellphone video, Denise Armstrong is seen standing on her porch trying to talk with her son, Donald Armstrong. During the interaction, police are heard screaming for her and others to get away from him.
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“I told them he didn't have a gun or anything,” Denise Armstrong said.
She said she called 911 because her son was high on drugs and she didn't want anyone to hurt him.
"'Don't kill my child,'" Denise Armstrong said. "'Don't kill my child,' that's all I kept telling them."
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Miami Police said the man was holding a sharp object, acting erratic, and ignoring officers' commands. The family said Donald Armstrong was holding a screwdriver.
In the video, he yells at police to shoot him in the heart. He lifts his shirt, and police tase him.
Miami Police said the Taser was ineffective. Donald Armstrong rips the prongs from his body. Officers tase him again and it appears he starts swinging toward them.
Seconds later, police said at least one of their officers decided to shoot. Several gunshots were captured on video.
When police shot her son, Denise Armstrong was inside the house, feet away from him.
“They didn't have to shoot him like that, they already chased him already,” she said.
Donald Armstrong was hospitalized in critical but stable condition and went through surgery Thursday night. His mother is praying he pulls through.
“Trying to hold on, I'm sick myself,” she said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation into the shooting.
On Friday, Miami Chief of Police issued a statement following the incident.
"This incident has been an event that impacted our entire community. Transparency and accountability to our community will always remain our goal," Morales said in the statement. "Communication is paramount to our communities, and we want to ensure all information we disseminate is accurate. The community needs to hear directly from me about the situation. We have two parallel investigations going. One by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, an outside agency that investigates all police-involved shootings, and a second by Miami PD. We are already in the process of our internal investigation regarding all actions taken. I pledge to ensure that our department does better in addressing calls involving mental and behavioral issues. I am asking all of us to pray for Mr. Armstrong and his family during this difficult time."
