Officer who shot at autistic man testifies in own defence

MIAMI — A South Florida police officer insisted during his attempted manslaughter trial that he thought a severely autistic man was holding a gun when he fired three shots at him in 2016.

But the shots fired by North Miami Police Officer Jonathan Aledda missed Arnaldo Rios Soto and struck his caretaker Charles Kinsey in the leg. It turned out Rios was holding a silver toy truck.

The Miami Herald reports Aledda testified in his own defence Wednesday, insisting that he never heard another officer radio that the object was a toy.

Video of the shooting caused outrage across the country.

Aledda said he was stunned when he realized he’d struck Kinsey and tried “to do everything in my power to help him.”

He’s charged with attempted manslaughter and culpable negligence.

The Associated Press

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