Thirty-two-year-old Philando Castile was fatally shot by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop Wednesday night in Falcon Heights.
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Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, was in the auto along with her 4-year-old daughter, and Reynolds streamed the gruesome aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook.
Reynolds said on the video that her boyfriend had a conceal-carry license that allowed him to legally carry a firearm and was reaching for his identification in his back pocket when the officer started to shoot.
“This incident had nothing to do with the race of the driver”, said attorney Thomas Kelly, who represents Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who fired the fatal shots. Castile was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama held a press conference during the NATO Summit at the Polish National Stadium in Warsaw on Saturday to address the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas police officers, which occurred earlier in the week. She said Castile was having difficulty getting to his wallet and that his gun was in a holster in his trousers.
Shortly after the two officers stopped a vehicle, Yanez opened fire on the driver, Philando Castile, 32, who sat in the front seat.
The U.S. Justice Department, which immediately launched a civil rights investigation into the Baton Rouge shooting, said it would monitor Minnesota’s investigation.
As more information is being uncovered about Philando Castile after his death, it has been revealed by Associated Press that these traffic stops really did feel like routine to Philandro.
Both are on standard administrative leave.
Hundreds of demonstrators braved rain showers and gathered outside the governor’s mansion in St. Paul.
Once the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension finishes its investigation of the shooting, the case will then go to the Ramsey County Attorney John Choi who hasn’t decided if he’ll make the charging decision or have a Grand Jury do it.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. has said there are still questions about what happened. “There are things we don’t know about it. But we know there are certain assumptions and biases – whether explicit or implicit – about black men that affect how police officers interpret their actions”.
Though initial reports indicate that Castile was pulled over for a broken taillight, it appears that Castile was profiled because he matched the description of a man with a big nose. They were named best in their graduating class, and Dobratz said they seemed cut out for the challenges of police work. Sterling was shot and killed by Louisiana authorities at a convenience store on Tuesday.
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“I’m a nobody. And I felt by the police doing what they did, the only way to get my word justified… was to post the video”, she said. The races of the officers who were shot have not been released.
