Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 4-21-17

News Around The Nation
Teen Shoots Police After Believing They Were Burglars
North Miami Police Officer Charged In 2016 Shooting Of Unarmed Caretaker
Polce shooting in Detroit.
Charles Kinsey and his attorney have been fighting for prose- cution and justice for Kinsey after he was shot while lying on the ground with his hands up while assisting his autistic patient.
DETROIT, MI —- A teen gun- man in Detroit blasted a cop's face through a door — believing the two officers outside his home were burglars after reporting a Sunday night break-in attempt, police said.
The 19-year-old opened fired on two officers with a shotgun “fearing for the safety” of his mother and brother, Detroit po- lice Chief James Craig said at a media briefing on Monday.
He had already called police three times believing his family’s home along Lesure Road in west Detroit was being targeted by
POLICE OFFICERS
several break-in attempts on Sunday.
The gunfire critically wounded the cop on the porch around 11:45 p.m. while shrap- nel struck another officer in the
arm, Craig said.
Both officers were rushed to
Sinai Grace Hospital. The shot cop — a two-year veteran of the force — remains in critical con- dition while the other is ex- pected to be OK. The second officer has been with Detroit Po- lice Department for at least 18 months.
Craig said the gunman, his mother and 14-year-old brother were taken into custody after the shooting.
The woman's oldest son may have not known the officer was at the door, Craig added.
As police brutality cases find their way back into the national conversation, Charles Kinsey could see justice in the wake of a 2016 shooting at the hands of a North Miami, Fla. police offi- cer while unarmed.
The police officer who shot Kinsey while he was lying in the street with his hands up faces charges for the shoot- ing, according to an arrest af- fidavit issued on Wednesday.
Jonathon Aledda, a four- year veteran of the depart- ment, faces charges of attempted manslaughter, a third-degree felony, and cul- pable negligence, a first-de- gree misdemeanor, according to the Miami-Dade State At- torney's Office.
The charges stem from what prosecutors said was a "lengthy inquiry" into the
July 2016 shooting of Charles Kinsey, a caretaker at a home for people with mental disabilities.
When he was shot, Kinsey was attempting to calm Ar- naldo Soto, a man with autism who was playing with a toy truck that police be- lieved could be a firearm.
The affidavit says Aledda was not the closest officer to the scene and was 152 feet away from Kinsey when he fired.
"Officer Aledda was not in a position to correctly as- sess the situation or in a posi- tion to accurately fire," prosecutors said in a press re- lease.
Cellphone footage of Kin- sey's apparent peaceful ac- tions moments before the shooting caused outrage and protests at the time.
Police Training Program Aims To Bridge Gap
NATIONWIDE — The Cross-Cultural Institute has launched Badges2Bridges, a new training program for po- lice officers and law enforce- ment professionals. The program aims to equip law en- forcement personnel to work effectively with minority com- munities.
Badges2Bridges is the most comprehensive law enforce- ment education program (LEEP) specifically designed using input from police offi- cers around the globe. The program’s creator, Dr. Anita Jack-Davies, is a cross-cul- tural expert and founder of the agency which delivers and de- velops customized education and training programs includ- ing blended courses, seminars, retreats and conferences.
Badges2Bridges is being launched at a time when the United States and Canada are grappling with the education that police receive to ensure the most effective law enforce- ment strategies. Learning con- sists of 6 interactive modules and learning is assessed before and after the course using a pre and post assessment tool.
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A