MIAMI (WSVN) - Police officers are taking the witness stand in the case against a North Miami Police officer who shot an unarmed behavioral therapist in 2016.
The second trial of North Miami Police Officer Jonathan Aledda entered its third day, Monday.
The four-year veteran officer, who has been relieved of duty, faces two manslaughter charges and a culpable negligence charge after he shot Charles Kinsey in the leg.
Aledda’s first trial in March ended with a hung jury who acquitted him of a culpable negligence charge.
In cellphone video that went viral, Kinsey could be seen lying on the ground with his hands up and telling officers that his client had a toy truck in his hands.
“All he has is a toy truck. A toy truck. I am a behavior therapist at a group home,” Kinsey could be heard saying in the video.
Kinsey said in court that he still has metal fragments inside his leg and could be seen walking with the assistance of a cane.
Callers to 911 said they thought the patient was holding a gun.
In court Monday, a fellow responding officer said he did not believe the object was a weapon.
Prosecutors asked, “Did you ever see him do anything that looked like he was loading a revolver?”
“No,” the officer replied.
Aledda rejected a plea deal last Monday. If he had accepted the deal, he would have received one year of probation and lost his police certification.
When a judge asked him if he would accept the officer, Aledda said, “We reject that offer.”
The trial is expected to last around a week.
Aledda faces up to 60 years in prison if found guilty.
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