North Miami police promise answers after shooting of unarmed man

New video of an unarmed black man lying down before getting shot by a North Miami police officer is fanning the flames of the already intense outrage over policing in African-American communities.

The cellphone video, released Wednesday, showed behavioral therapist Charles Kinsey on the ground with his arms in the air, lying beside one of his autistic patients. He calmly explained to the officers that he worked at a nearby group home. The man by his side was holding a toy truck. The video does not include the moment one of the officers fired his gun.

“I was really more worried about him than myself. I was thinking as long as I have my hands up, … they’re not going to shoot me,” he told WSVN-TV in Miami from his hospital bed. “This is what I’m thinking: ‘They’re not going to shoot me.’ Wow, was I wrong.”

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement and others are asking what more Kinsey could have done to avoid getting shot on Monday evening.

U.S. Olympic sprinter Manteo Mitchell, actress Alyssa Milano, Roots drummer Questlove and singer LeAnn Rimes were among the high-profile people to speak out.

North Miami Police Chief Gary Eugene said at a Thursday press conference that he realized there are many unanswered questions about what happened leading up to the police-involved shooting.

“You have questions. The community has questions. We as a city, and as a member of this police department and I also have questions. I assure you we’ll get all of the answers,” he said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) took over the investigation on Wednesday at Eugene’s request, and the state attorney’s office is also looking into the case, he said.

“Bringing in an outside agency shows our commitment to transparency and objectivity in a very sensitive matter,” Eugene said. “Once both of those agencies have concluded their work, the case will be referred back to us for our own internal investigation.”

Eugene said this process is “unfortunately” part of the standard procedure and will add time to the investigation, but he intended to follow the process as dictated by Florida law.

“As your newly appointed police chief and with my management, my team in place, transparency and justice for all will be the norm as we’re moving forward,” he said.

The Kinsey incident came during a period of heightened tension between law enforcement and black communities. The recent deaths of two African-American men and ambush attacks against police officers have exacerbated the already troubled relationship.

The North Miami Police Department said the officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving a 911 call from an armed man threatening to commit suicide.

Eugene declined to answer additional questions about the incident, referring any questions to the FDLE.

When contacted by Yahoo News, Steve Arthur, a public information officer for the FDLE, confirmed that agents with his organization are investigating the incident.

“FDLE’s role is to investigate potential criminality by the law enforcement officers. We will determine the facts of the case and provide that information to the State Attorney’s Office, 11th Judicial Circuit,” he said in an email. “The State Attorney’s Office will determine whether or not charges will be filed.”

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said the shooting was particularly troubling because North Miami police typically come from or live in the neighborhoods where they work and have great relationships with the community.

“All of the police officers we work with, we know them, we trust them. So today, this is like a nightmare to me,” Wilson said at the press conference where Eugene also spoke.

She noted how closely her office works with police officers on a regular basis and that she supports them, but was still shocked by the video of Kinsey pleading to not be shot.

“We’re pro police. We love the police. We know that when the police break down, the country dissolves. But today, I’m in shock. I am in total shock of what I saw,” she said.

“This is not typical of North Miami,” she said. “North Miami is a melting pot. It’s like a little United Nations, so we’re not accustomed to this tension.”

Wilson extended her “deepest, deepest” sympathy to Kinsey and asked what more he possibly could have done to avoid being shot. She said that boys and men are typically instructed to freeze when a cop approaches — and he apparently did exactly that.

“From what I saw he was lying on the ground with his hands up, freezing, being rational. And he was still shot,” she said.

Many more people echoed her sentiments on social media. They variously expressed outrage that Kinsey was shot, gratitude that he survived, disappointment in the police response and exhaustion that these incidents keep occurring.