The head of the Miami Police Benevolent Association says the North Miami police officer who shot an unarmed black mental health worker was actually aiming at the man's autistic patient who was sitting next to him.

John Rivera told local news outlets the officer is a decorated 30-year-old Hispanic who's also on the SWAT team. His name wasn't released. The police department also identified the officer by age and race on a fact sheet published on its Facebook page.

Rivera says the admission is intended to help calm the fears of a nation that's seen a number of cellphone videos of police shooting black men. He says the officer fired three times, wounding 47-year-old Charles Kinsey.

The shooting happened Monday as Kinsey said he was trying to coax the autistic man back to a group home he had wandered away from. Police responded to reports of a man with a gun threatening to kill himself. No weapon was found and an investigation continues.