Yanez shot Castile four or five times, and his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, filmed the aftermath in a widely circulated Facebook video. Mayor Peter Lindstrom expressed his condolences to the family of shooting victim Philando Castile.
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PAUL- Police say the section of Interstate 94 in St. Paul that was closed by protesters has been reopened.
Philando Castile’s mother and two of his uncles are condemning a shooting in Dallas that left five police officers dead and wounded several more.
The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a black man in a Minneapolis suburb earlier this week spoke out through his attorney Saturday saying that the shooting had nothing to do with race.
Castile was shot several times “for no apparent reason” while reaching for his wallet, after telling the officer he had a gun and a permit to carry it, his girlfriend said as she streamed the immediate aftermath live on Facebook.
Minneapolis attorney Thomas Kelly says that Yanez is “obviously saddened by the death of Mr. Castile, sad for the loved ones, and distressed that deadly force became necessary”, but added that the incident originated because Castile had a gun in the vehicle. But Yanez’s attorney, Thomas Kelly, told the newspaper his client is cooperating with the investigation and remains distraught by the shooting.
There was “more than the reason for the equipment violation” to stop Castile’s vehicle, Kelly said, without specifying other reasons, the Times said. “This had nothing to do with race”.
Late Sunday and into Monday morning, nearly fifty protesters were bundled into the back of police vans in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while a handful in Atlanta, Georgia were also arrested. She said that Yanez shot Castile after he reached for his identification.
Yanez and Kauser, both four-year veterans, were put on administrative leave, as is standard, authorities said. Police said that Sterling – who was a convicted felon and barred from legally carrying a gun – was armed, and an eyewitness said he had a gun in his pocket.
Court records show it was at least the 32nd time Castile had been pulled over in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area since 2002.
Protesters have been camped out in front of the Minnesota governor’s mansion for days, demanding justice, while dozens were arrested after a weekend march shut down a 6-mile stretch of freeway. Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, has praised the calmer demonstrations outside his home and said he won’t try to have people removed.
The Dallas protest came in response to police shootings, including the one in which 37-year-old Alton Sterling was killed Tuesday in Baton Rouge during a struggle with two police officers outside a convenience store where he was selling CDs.
Texas authorities say two officers have shot and killed a gunman on Houston’s south side.
Celebrities including Beyoncé, John Legend and Lady Gaga have also voiced outrage over Sterling and Castile’s deaths, which occurred in Louisiana and Minnesota.
“[Officer Yanez] is deeply saddened for the family and loved ones of Philando Castile”.
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Less than 24 hours after Castile died, Dayton declared that police likely wouldn’t have fired if Castile’s skin were a different color.
