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North Miami Police Chief Provides Few Answers After Shooting Of Unarmed Black Man On the Ground

Carl Juste
/
Miami Herald
North Miami Police Chief Gary Eugene speaks at a press conference regarding Charles Kinsey, an unarmed caretaker shot by police while on the ground with his hands up.

The North Miami Police Department called a press conference on Thursday after the shooting of an  unarmed mental health care worker by an officer earlier this week.

But there were more questions than answers.

Charles Kinsey, a mental health care worker, was  caring for a  patient with autism who had walked out of a  mental health clinic when he was shot by North Miami police officers.  

According to North Miami police, officers responded to the area after receiving a call that a man with a gun was threatening suicide.

A video of the shooting shows Kinsey responding to officers by  lying on the ground with his hands up. His patient sat nearby playing with what appears to be a toy truck. 

At the press conference, Police Chief Gary Eugene repeatedly said this would be a transparent investigation, but he offered very few details about the shooting. 

Eugene did say that officers found no guns on the scene. He did not identify the agents involved in the shooting.  

"Transpareny and justice for all will be the norm as we move forward," said Eugene,  who declined to take questions from reporters as he and his staff walked out.

 
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office are investigating the incident. 

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