North Miami hotline lets public express opinion on police shooting
Though North Miami police and city leaders have mostly clammed up about the specifics of last week’s shooting of healthcare professional Charles Kinsey, the city hasn’t been shy about sharing the public’s thoughts.
Make a call to the police department about the July 18 incident, and it’s a good bet those comments will soon be available for all the world to hear.
Listening to them is as easy as going to NorthMiamiPolice. clicking on the newsroom site and accessing the voice messages link. City Manager Larry Spring decided to create a message board so residents would know the city is listening, said North Miami police spokeswoman Natalie Buissereth.
“They’re saying everything, good and bad. We’re listening. We’re here,” she said.
Most of the messages — at least on the board — haven’t been kind to police.
They find fault with SWAT member Jonathan Aledda’s decision to fire his assault rifle at Kinsey three times as he lay in the street with his hands up in the air, autistic patient Arnaldo Eliud Rios sitting crosslegged and playing with a toy truck, at his side.
Police said they were led to North Miami by a 911 call from someone who said there was a person in the road with a gun threatening to hurt himself. The 911 call has yet to be released. When Aledda and other officers arrived, they found Kinsey standing with Rios next to him on the ground.
They ordered both men to lie down. Kinsey obeyed. Rios did not.
Video taken by a cellphone camera clearly shows Kinsey telling police there is no gun and his patient has autism. He also begs Rios to lie down. He never did. Aledda opened fire and struck Kinsey once in the leg. The police union chief later said Aledda was aiming for Rios because he believed he was a threat to Kinsey, but missed.
Aledda is on administrative leave. Another officer, Cmdr. Emile Hollant, was suspended without pay for misleading investigators. Sources say he transmitted that one of the men was loading a weapon, then during the following investigation said hewasn’t at the scenewhenAledda fired his weapon.
Since the incident, North Miami has allowed the public to voice its opinions.
Police consider one of those calls a threat. Whether it is or not is questionable. But the public knows it’s considered a threat because North Miami divided the voice mails into categories that include threats, comments and questions.
“I’m just curious how a guy is laying on the ground andsomebodyshoots.… But I’d hate for us to turn into the next Baton Rouge,” said an unidentified male voice who fit the department’s threat category.