North Miami Police Officer Jonathan Aledda, 32, who shot and wounded Charles Kinsey, finally heads to court for jury selections.
In July of 2016, North Miami Police arrived and surrounded them during an intense confrontation. Kinsey was lying on his back, hands in the air, begging officers not to shoot his severely autistic client.
The incident was captured on video that quickly went viral.
At the time, Kinsey was working at a group home with 26-year-old Arnaldo Rios, who had wandered away. Rios sat down in the middle of the roadway holding a silver toy truck. A neighbor thought the item was a gun and dialed 911.
The standoff violently escalated when Aledda, a trained SWAT officer, fired three shots at Rios hitting Kinsey in the thigh. Bullets did not strike Rios.
After months of investigating, Miami-Dade prosecutors concluded that Aledda was not justified in shooting after officers previously radioed that Rios did not have a weapon.
The NMP Officer is charged with two counts of felony attempted manslaughter and two counts of culpable negligence. His attorney insists, Aledda acted in defense with what he perceived to be a life-threatening situation.
It will be the first time an officer has been tried in Miami-Dade County for an on-duty shooting since 1989.