Existing comment:
Where was the NRA when Philando was murdered?
Shooting of Philando Castile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile,[a] a 32-year-old African American man was fatally shot during a traffic stop by police officer Jeronimo Yanez, a 28-year-old White Hispanic member of the St. Anthony, Minnesota police department.
Castile was driving with his partner, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter when at 9:00 p.m. he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer in Falcon Heights, a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota. After being asked for his license and registration, Castile told Officer Yanez that he had a firearm (Castile was licensed to carry) to which Yanez replied, "Don't reach for it then", and Castile said "I'm, I, I was reaching for..." Yanez said "Don't pull it out", Castile replied "I'm not pulling it out", and Reynolds said "He's not..." Yanez repeated "Don't pull it out". Yanez then fired seven close-range shots at Castile, hitting him five times. Castile died of his wounds at 9:37 p.m. at Hennepin County Medical Center, about 20 minutes after being shot.
Reynolds posted a live stream video on Facebook in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and the incident quickly gained national interest. Local and national protests formed, and five months after the incident, Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. After five days of deliberation, he was acquitted of all charges in a jury trial on June 16, 2017. After the verdict, Yanez was immediately fired by the City of Saint Anthony. Wrongful death lawsuits against the City brought by Reynolds and Castile's family were settled for a total of $3.8 million. |