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Police Officer Who Shot Unarmed North Miami Man Graduated From Staples

WESTPORT, Conn. — Jonathon Aledda, the police officer who shot an unarmed black man lying in the street with his arms in the air as he worked with his autistic man last week, was a 2004 graduate of Staples High School in Westport, according to WestportNow.com.

A screenshot shows behavior therapist Charles Kinsey as he was lying in the street with his hands in the air before he was shot by a North Miami police officer, who is originally from Westport.

A screenshot shows behavior therapist Charles Kinsey as he was lying in the street with his hands in the air before he was shot by a North Miami police officer, who is originally from Westport.

Photo Credit: NBC Miami screenshot

Aledda 30, played football and ran track at Staples, according to WestportNow.com.

The shooting, which was captured on a cellphone and later went viral, occurred last Monday as Charles Kinsey was lying in the road and following police orders as he tried to urge the autistic man to get out of the road, the video shows. 

Aledda, a four-year department veteran and a member of the SWAT team, has been placed on administrative leave, according to the North Miami Police Department.

His union defended him, saying Aledda was aiming at the autistic man who appeared to pose a danger to Kinsey, CNN.com said.

Aledda issued a statement in the form of a text message, which John Rivera, president of the Police Benevolent Association in Dade County released.

"I took this job to save lives and help people," according to the officer's text statement. "I did what I had to do in a split second to accomplish that, and hate to hear others paint me as something I'm not."

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Aledda’s personnel file, posted online by the police department, contains numerous commendations and only one complaint.

He has received outstanding annual evaluations since he was hired in 2012 and several commendations. He was police officer in October 2014.

His file contains one complaint from a shop owner, how Aledda shoved and arrested after other officers incorrectly identified him as a robbery suspect.

Internal affairs investigators cleared Aledda in the case, saying he used reasonable force in the situation.

Click here to read the story at WestportNow.com. Click here to read the CNN.com story.

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