dangerous objects

Philando Castile was pulled over in Falcon Heights, MN, by Officer Jeronimo Yanez on suspicion that Castile matched the description of a robbery suspect from a few days earlier. Officer Yanez approached the driver’s side while his partner approached the passenger side. During the encounter between Yanez and Castile, Castile hands over his insurance card and calmly tells Yanez, “Sir, I have to tell you I do have a firearm on me.” Officer Yanez yells at Philando Castile to not reach for his gun, Castile assuring that he wouldn’t, then Yanez shoots seven rounds at him. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and their four year old daughter were in the car. According to Reynolds, Castile was reaching for his identification as Yanez had requested. After the shooting, Reynolds began to livestream the aftermath through Facebook Live. Her account of the story through the livestream was as follows:

 

Reynolds: “Stay with me. We got pulled over for a busted tail light in the back. And the police just… he’s covered… they killed my boyfriend.”

Officer Yanez [background]: “Fuck!”

Reynolds: “He’s licensed, he’s licensed to carry, he was trying to get out his ID and his wallet out his pocket, and he let the officer know that he was… he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm.”

 

The graphic video continues for three more minutes, and she continued to calmly narrate as Philando Castile passed away. She was then told to exit the car and get on her knees by police surrounding the vehicle.

 

Officer Yanez was charged with manslaughter, but after 25 hours of deliberation by a jury, he was acquitted in July 2017. He would have faced 10 years under Minnesota law had he been convicted. Of twelve jurors, two were black and the rest were white. Diamond Reynolds was able to reach a $675,000 settlement with the St. Anthony City Council. She also received $125,000 from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust on behalf of the City of Roseville.

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Sources: 

Ali, S. S. (2017, July 16). Officer Who Shot Philando Castile Acquitted of Manslaughter Charges. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-philando-castile-acquitted-manslaughter-charges-n771146

 

Bosman, J., & Smith, M. (2017, June 22). Experts Weigh In on Video of Philando Castile Shooting. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/us/video-police-shooting-philando-castile-trial.html

 

County, R. (2017, June 20). Diamond Reynolds July 6, 2016 Facebook Live Video (WARNING: Graphic content). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DUfa4LTgOs

 

St. Anthony, Diamond Reynolds Reach $675K Settlement. (2017, November 28). Retrieved from https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/11/28/st-anthony-council-to-discuss-reynolds-settlement-privately-tuesday/?fbclid=IwAR3Rrqnj-Ahn261b7O7EqECL9uhzDq0LgB9kv4LKbcY4OwG6T4upAeQZRlA

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