Family fears for autistic man's safety after police shooting

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Family fears for autistic man's safety after police shooting

Updated 7:12 pm, Saturday, July 23, 2016

MIAMI (AP) — The autistic man who was the intended target of a police bullet is suffering from emotional distress, not eating and traumatized following the shooting of his caretaker.

Arnaldo Rios' mother, Gladys Soto, said during a Saturday news conference that she is worried about the safety of her son, who wandered back to the site of the Monday shooting a day later, threw himself on the ground and shouted: "I hate the police, I hate the police," The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/2a6i7OP) reported Saturday.

"It's too emotional to see your baby caught up in something like this," Soto said. Miriam Soto said her brother is suffering from night terrors and is not sleeping or eating.

"He's not the same anymore," Miriam Soto said of her brother.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Family-fears-for-autistic-man-s-safety-following-8405245.php

[strategery blunder]

1. Perhaps the wannabe murderous thug cop should be subject to civil asset forfeiture

What's good for the goose is good for the gander and all that.

Don't make the taxpayers pay, make the criminal cops themselves pay.

Yes indeedy

[cstanleytech]

3. To be fair the cop might have just shot the guy by accident and yes it's very

possible to do such a thing.
That aside he still needs to be charged with assault at the very least if not attempted murder and he should be fired with the loss of all benefits.

[ret5hd]

5. Yeah, and then accidentally handcuffed him...and accidentally waited 20 mins...

to call an ambulance!

I really hate it when I do that!

[cstanleytech]

9. Each if those are separate issues but the shooting itself of the

the gun which I am only addressing at this moment could and probably was done without thought and without malice, that doesn't mean the officer should not be punished severely but it's the most likely reason for the shooting.
I say this because the guy shot clearly was no threat and had his hands visible raised up plus there were other officers present as well as civilians filming it so no cop is going to be stupid enough to deliberately shoot and unarmed suspect when they know for a fact that it's being filmed, not given the recent news over other police shootings.

[ret5hd]

10. What would be your first instinct if you accidentally gravely harmed somebody?

In ANY circumstance...shooting, car wreck, construction work, anything?

I know my first instinct would be to tie their hands using anything I had available...rope, zip-ties, heck, handcuffs would be ideal! (That's why I always carry a pair in my first aid kit, and you should too!) To do otherwise would imply guilt, right?

[cstanleytech]

17. Of course he is guilty of the shooting because he did do it of that there isnt any debate that

he was negligent and should held accountable I am merely pointing on that it might not have been a deliberate premeditated act rather he could have simply pulled it because he got distracted and didnt realize it until it was to late.
For example, about 3 years ago when my mother was in the hospital before she died it was a rough time for me and I was going down to the hospital to see her every day atleast for an hour and because of the stress I ran probably atleast 4 stop signs during that period and 2 or 3 red lights and I consider myself a safe drive usually as under normal circumstances I do a complete stop at every sign and I almost never speed unlike many of the idiots in my area who think its ok to 80 in a 55.
So ya, stress can really screw someones head up.

[ret5hd]

18. Distraction, etc explains absolutely nothing of his next actions. nt

[cstanleytech]

19. As I said that is a separate issue.

At a guess though he was trying to buy time to think of an excuse to cover his ass because he knows he is fucked.

[Dustlawyer]

11. In a situation like that the people involved rarely notice the other things going on around them

until the crisis is over. This cop has had weapons training over and over. Why was his finger on the trigger unless he intended to shoot?

Why did he tell the victim he didn't know why he shot him and a couple of days later say he was intending to shoot an unthreatening young man? I am sure he could see what was in his hand through his rifle scope. There were several times you could see him hold the truck out to look at it.

[gopiscrap]

14. Not true

most cops feel they can get away with anything. Shoot first and then the city's lawyers and police guild lawyers twist words and images to get you out of it!

[Ilsa]

2. They need to get him to a psychiatrist

Who will help him with his trauma.

Poor man. And sympathy to his family, too.

[marble falls]

4. He was with a therapist at the shooting. the therapist got shot!

[Ilsa]

6. From what I read, the victim was not a therapist, but an aide that

Has special training in ABA to effectively work with autistic people. Besides, even if the shooting victim is a pschiatrist or psychologist, they shouldn't be working on this particular problem with the autistic man. It's not professionally appropriate.

I suspect he needs a psychiatrist who can medically and cognitively guide him through his trauma.

On edit:
The subsequent reports refer to him as a "therapist", which could also mean speech, occupational, or recreational in the setting of a group home. If he had been a psychiatrist, I think the report would have referred to him as "Doctor".

[LisaL]

7. Right now he is in the psychiatric wing of the hospital.

Presumably psychiatrists are abound there.

[Ilsa]

8. I edited my post that you replied to for a correction and addition.

I'm glad the autist is getting treatment. These types of events, especially with the loud noise of a gunshot, can be terrifying as some autistics have difficulty with the cognitive business of sorting through the details and performing tasks which help process.

[Dustlawyer]

12. The man was trying to tell the cops he was a behavioral therapist when they told him to

shut up.

[Ilsa]

13. Thanks. I had read the initial reports, but not the latest.

My point was that the shooting victim couldn't be treated by the therapist who was dealing with him at the time of the shooting, and there are limits as to what behavioral therapists can address.

[Dustlawyer]

15. It was the therapist who was shot, not his patient, thought the cop now says he was trying

to hit the autistic patient.

[cstanleytech]

20. Regardless of his excuse he clearly should not be allowed near a gun ever again imo. nt

[Feeling the Bern]

16. Don't read the comments section.

For the love of everything sane, stay away.

[cannabis_flower]

21. Must have been some moderation from the Houston Chronicle

because there were only 3 comments and they weren't crazy.