The father of a man who, police said, was shot by an officer in North Miami Beach when he charged at them with a knife said he has yet to see his son at the hospital or be given an update on his condition.
Twenty-one-year-old Roosevelt Joseph remains in stable condition as of Sunday night.
Speaking with 7News in Creole earlier in the day, his father said he is anxious about the whole ordeal.
“At this present time, they haven’t authorized me to see my son because, I think, if he’s still alive, and he’s not dead, he would tell me whether he pulled a knife or not,” said the concerned parent, who asked not to be identified or show his face on camera.
The confrontation took place near the 1600 block of Northeast 164th Street, at around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday.
Surveillance video shows Joseph taking some bags out of the trunk of a small sedan and dropping then off at a nearby barbershop.
North Miami Beach Police officers said they responded to calls of a person stabbed.
The surveillance video shows a North Miami Beach Police cruiser driving by.
When officers arrived, investigators said, the alleged victim was nowhere to be found. Instead, they ran into Joseph holding a knife.
“The officers gave the male several verbal commands to drop the knife. The male refused to drop the knife and then charged at the officers,” said North Miami Beach Police Maj. Juan Pinillos.
Paramedics transported Joseph to an area hospital for treatment.
“At this time, the suspect in this case is in the hospital in surgery,” said Pinillos.
Joseph’s father said that was what police told him.
“I asked the cops, ‘Why did you shoot him?’ [An officer] said, ‘Because he came at us aggressively with a knife,’” he said
Pinillos believes no stabbing took place.
“It appears as though the call was a bogus call, possibly placed by the suspect, and he looked like he wanted the encounter,” he said.
As for Joseph’s father, he said he hopes his son is alive
“I want to know, what condition is he in?” he said. “No matter what mental disorder you might have, you see the police, they’re in uniform. I don’t think anybody would approach the police angrily unless your eyes are bad.”
Police said no officers were injured in the encounter, as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to investigate.