MIAMI- The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office today announced that it has charged North Miami SWAT Officer Jonathan Aledda for the July 2016 shooting of Charles Kinsey, an unarmed black man who was helping an autistic patient.
The below is a joint statement on the charges from Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, and Jeanne Baker, Chair of the ACLU of Florida Greater Miami Chapter’s Police Practices Committee:
“Criminal charges being brought against the officer who shot Charles Kinsey while he was lying on his back with his hands in the air means the facts of this shooting are more likely to be examined in a forum with transparency, accountability, and due process.
“While charges against police officers who use excessive force are rare, we hope that the North Miami police don’t see this as the end of the story. In recent years, great strides have been made in tactics for police dealing with situations involving individuals with mental and developmental disabilities. If the police department doesn’t also use this as an opportunity to thoroughly review trainings and procedures, including policies governing the discharge of a weapon and the use of deadly force, it is only a matter of time before something like this happens again.”
