MIAMI – Donald Armstrong who was shot six times by Miami police during a March encounter, told Local 10 News Thursday that he still has bullets in his body and relies on a colostomy bag due to the incident.
At one point, he wasn’t sure if he would walk again. However, on Thursday, he was in good spirits as prosecutors announced they would not be pursuing charges against him.
Armstrong said it’s been a while since he last watched the video of the March 7 encounter, which was captured on police body cameras and a witness’s cellphone.
“I feel like when the police are called in our neighborhoods, they come to hunt … they’re not there to de-escalate the situation … they’re there to blow it out of proportion — and my case is a prime example of that,” Armstrong said.
Police responded to Armstrong’s home on Northwest Seventh Court after his mother called 911, reporting that her son was experiencing a mental health crisis pm March 7. Armstrong was reportedly high on Molly at the time and admitted to taking the drug the day of the shooting.
“If I wasn’t under the influence and mentally out of my mind at the time, none of it would have happened,” Armstrong said.
Multiple officers arrived on the scene, and police said Armstrong refused to comply with their commands. They deployed tasers several times, but Armstrong managed to remove them.
Police claimed Armstrong was holding an object that appeared to be a screwdriver in his hand when he charged at them, prompting one officer to fire her weapon, striking Armstrong six times.
“He needed help … the last thing he needed was an aggressive presence of 10-12 police officers,” said Larry Handfield, Armstrong’s attorney.
Initially charged with resisting an officer without violence, Armstrong’s case was reduced to a misdemeanor.
On Thursday, prosecutors declined to pursue the case, and Armstrong agreed to have his probation extended for an additional two years from an unrelated previous case.
“I’m just going forth today hoping that my life can be of some service to someone else,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong, who has since completed a rehabilitation program, says he’s been sober for seven months. He is represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and a civil lawsuit regarding the shooting is still pending.