MIAMI – Prosecutors announced in court Tuesday that they would be downgrading the charges against a man who suffers from mental illness and was shot by Miami police in March.
The state said they would not be pursuing aggravated assault charges against Donald Armstrong, 47, but instead filed a single misdemeanor charge of resisting without violence.
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Armstrong was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in serious condition following the March 7 shooting.
Officer Kiara Delva, a Miami Police Department spokesperson, confirmed that police responded to a home near the 5700 block of Northwest Seventh Court that day after receiving a call about a person who was possibly high on narcotics causing a disturbance.
Upon arrival, Delva said officers encountered Armstrong, described as an “aggressive subject,” who was armed with a sharp object, and refused to comply with officers’ commands.
Online records show Armstrong has served time in state prison on charges including burglary, aggravated assault with a weapon and battery on a pregnant victim.
Just before 3 p.m. that day, cellphone video captured the moments when officers were met by three people on a front porch. One man wearing red pants and a white shirt was seen carrying a long object in one hand when he was tased multiple times.
The video shows Armstrong yelling “Shoot me in the heart” and “I am God!” before being hit a second time by a taser after charging at officers. Police said he refused to follow their commands and they were forced to shoot.
But neighbors and the man’s family questioned the officer’s decision to open fire.
“I don’t think the police’s life was in no danger at any time,” Armstrong’s cousin, Lonnie Armstrong, told Local 10 News. “I said, ‘My cousin has a mental problem. You know, you all need to check with somebody.’ I said this loud and clear. And they was like ‘Get out the way.”
In a message posted to social media after the shooting, Miami police Chief Manny Morales said, in part, “I pledge to ensure that our department does better in addressing calls involving mental and behavioral issues. I am asking all of us to pray for Mr. Armstrong and his family during this difficult time.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police shooting.