Miami

Therapist Shot by North Miami Police Officer Visits Autistic Man at Hospital

A therapist who was injured in a police shooting in North Miami paid a visit to the hospital Thursday to check on the autistic man who was with him during the shooting.

Charles Kinsey met with Arnaldo Rios for about 15 minutes at Aventura Hospital.

After the meeting, Kinsey, who walked with the help of a cane, spoke with reporters to give an update on Rios.

"I wanted to come and visit him before I did anything," Kinsey said. "It really touched me, just to see him, he's looking well, he's doing really well, he was very happy to see me, he gave me a real big hug."

Rios' family said last week that he was suffering from emotional distress and was traumatized following the shooting.

Kinsey said he is still recovering from the July 18 shooting. Kinsey was trying coax Rios back to a group home when he was shot in the middle of an intersection. He says he was on the ground with his hands in the air when he was shot. Cellphone video shows him with his hands raised moments before the shooting.

"There was nothing else I could've done, I believe I did everything the right way," Kinsey said.

He added that the shooting has affected him not just physically.

"Physically, I'm healing, but mentally, I'm distraught," Kinsey said. "I can't sleep at night."

Police said officers responded to the scene after they received a 911 call of an armed man threatening suicide. In the call released Thursday, the unidentified woman told the 911 operator that the man appeared to be mentally disturbed and that another man was trying to talk him out of killing himself.

But Rios was only holding a toy truck. The police union says the officer was trying to shoot Rios because he thought he was about to shoot Kinsey.

Officer Jonathan Aledda, the cop who shot Kinsey, has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. He is a four-year veteran and a member of the city's SWAT team.

Kinsey didn't want to discuss the specifics of the shooting, but thanked everyone for their support.

"I'm truly blessed to be here," Kinsey said.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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