Charles Kinsey, the 47-year-old unarmed behavioral technician who was shot by North Miami police as he tried to assist his autistic patient, is suing the officer who shot him.
Kinsey has filed a federal lawsuit, claiming that Police Officer Jonathan Aledda and others wrongfully arrested him and used excessive force, the Miami Herald reports.
The lawsuit, which was viewed by the newspaper, also alleges that officers did not attempt to help Kinsey even after they realized that he did not have a weapon. "They are demanding a jury trial, unstated monetary damages and any other fees due to the physical, emotional and mental pain the incident caused," the Herald reports.
"By failing to render aid, Officer Aledda allowed Mr. Kinsey to unnecessarily bleed out on the ground for a significant period of time, which further exasperated Mr. Kinsey’s recovery time for his injuries,” reads the complaint, which was filed by Kinsey’s Coral Gables, Fla., attorney, Hilton Napoleon.
Kinsey's lawsuit charges that on June 18, officers carrying assault rifles approached him and ordered him to the ground. Kinsey complied with the officers' demands and informed them that his patient, Arnaldo Eliud Rios, had a toy truck, not a weapon. Kinsey was shot while he was on the ground with his hands in the air. The ordeal was captured on video by an unnamed witness, which thrust the story into the national spotlight.
"All officers, including Officer Aledda, were close enough in proximity to hear Mr. Kinsey’s statements, and one officer even announced over the police radio, ‘It’s a toy truck, he’s saying it’s a toy truck,’” the complaint reads.
The police union and Aledda’s attorney did not respond to the Herald's request for comment.
A week after the shooting, Rios and Kinsey were reunited at Aventura Hospital, where Rios has remained in the psychiatric ward, having been traumatized by the event, officials say. The two men shared an embrace.
Aledda was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in any shooting, the Herald reports.
Read more at the Miami Herald.