Police are investigating after an officer shot a therapist who was looking after an autistic man while he was lying in the street with his hands up.

Charles Kinsey, was trying to get his 27-year-old patient to return to a treatment facility in Miami, Florida, when police arrived in response to reports of a man threatening to shoot himself.

Video shot by a witness who saw the scene unfold shows the 47-year-old Mr Kinsey lying in the street on his back and with his hands in the air, while his patient plays with a toy truck and screams at him to "shut up".

Mr Kinsey can be heard shouting to the officers, who are armed with rifles: "All he has is a toy truck. I'm a behaviour therapist at a group home."

Image: Mr Kinsey is recovering in hospital from a shotgun wound to his leg

He also urges his patient to comply with the officers: "Rinaldo, please be still, Rinaldo. Sit down Rinaldo, lay on your stomach."


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Moments later, shots were fired and Mr Kinsey was hit in the leg.

"It was so surprising. It was like a mosquito bite," he later told WSVN-TV, adding that he had called out there was no need for firearms.

North Miami Assistant Police Chief, Neal Cuevas, told The Miami Herald that police ordered Mr Kinsey and his patient to lie on the ground before an officer fired three times, striking Kinsey in the leg. No weapon was found.

Mr Kinsey is a member of the Circle of Brotherhood collective who do good deeds for the community and the group have demanded answers from the police.

Image: The therapist said being shot felt like a mosquito bite. Pic: 7 News

The SWAT officer who opened fire was Jonathan Aledda, 30, a four-year member of the North Miami force. He was described as Hispanic.

John Rivera, leader of the local police union, said the officer "was trying to save the life of Mr Kinsey and feels horrible that his aim missed and struck Mr Kinsey".

Mr Kinsey is recovering from his injuries in Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital.

His wife told WSVN-TV: "Right now, I am just grateful that he is alive, and he is able to tell his story."