It’s been two weeks since Charles Kinsey, an unarmed black man, was shot in the leg by a North Miami police officer. Kinsey, a behavioral therapist, had been trying to help a client with autism return to a group home where he worked.
North Miami City Hall and the police department were flooded with phone calls since the shooting and they set up a special community hotline. The police department recently posted the first batch of calls on their website.
Police were responding to a call that someone had a gun, when North Miami officer Jonathan Aledda shot Kinsey in the leg. The police union said Aledda was aiming for the man with autism and missed.
Neither men had weapons.
The shooting became national news after weeks of increased tension across the country around police shooting black men.
In the more than 50 calls from around the country, the main sentiment is outrage and disbelief.
Below are five excerpts from voice messages the city received.
Stop Shooting Us
"Will the police please stop killing us. Please. Will you stop killing us. He was down with his hands up and you still shot him and didn’t even know why you shot him They ya’ll come with some BS comment talking about he was trying to shoot the autistic man. Please stop shooting us."
I Have An Autistic Daughter
"I have a 12 almost 13 year old autistic daughter and she makes sudden movements. That autistic guy was sitting on the floor with a freaking toy. So should I be concerned that you all are going to shoot my daughter? Because she would not listen like that."
Say Sorry Now
"Why would anybody wait to apologize for something that everyone can see as horrific, blatant racial profiling. This makes me sick to my stomach. Sick to my stomach. Say you’re sorry right now. Say you’re sorry for not saying sorry before."
Really? Really?
"He meant to shoot the autistic young man? Ok that’s a problem too. Why would you try to shoot a person that’s autistic with a toy in his hand with a rifle? Really? Really?"
Please, Fire Him
"Please take that officer off the force. He shouldn’t be on the force, Thank you and God bless you"
The hotline to call the North Miami community hotline about the Charles Kinsey shooting is 305-902-6745.