Minn. officer acquitted in shooting death
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota police officer was cleared Friday in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, a black motorist whose death captured national attention when his girlfriend streamed the grim aftermath on Facebook.
Mr. Castile’s family stormed out of the courtroom after the verdict was read, and the city of St. Anthony swiftly announced plans to dismiss Officer Jeronimo Yanez, despite his acquittal. Officer Yanez was charged with manslaughter in the death of Mr. Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria worker, during a July 6 traffic stop that turned deadly seconds after Mr. Castile alerted the officer that he was carrying a gun. Mr. Castile had a permit for the weapon.
“The fact in this matter is that my son was murdered, and I’ll continue to say ‘murdered,’ because where in this plane t [can you] tell the truth, and you be honest, and you still be murdered by the police of Minnesota,” his mother, Valerie Castile, said, referring to the fact that her son was shot after he volunteered to Officer Yanez, “Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me.”
“He didn’t deserve to die the way he did,” Philando Castile’s sister, Allysza, said through tears. “I will never have faith in the system.”
Supporters of the family planned an evening rally at the Capitol. Meanwhile, St. Anthony said officials had concluded “the public will be best served” if Officer Yanez is no longer an officer there.
Jurors deliberated for about 29 hours over five days before reaching the verdict. Prosecutors argued that Officer Yanez had overreacted and that Mr. Castile, a school cafeteria worker, was not a threat. Officer Yanez, who is Latino, testified that Mr. Castile was pulling his gun out of his pocket despite his commands not to do so. The defense also argued Mr. Castile was high on marijuana and said that affected his actions.
Officer Yanez stared ahead with no reaction as the verdict was read. Afterward, one of his attorneys, Tom Kelly, said the defense was “satisfied.”
Prosecutor John Choi, who made the decision to charge Officer Yanez, said he knows the acquittal is painful for many people, but that the verdict “must be respected.”
“I don’t doubt that Officer Yanez is a decent person, but he made a horrible mistake from our perspective, and that’s what this case was about. I know that if he could, he would take back what he did, and we all wish — and he would, too — that this never happened,” Mr. Choi said.
Mr. Castile’s shooting was among a string of killings of blacks by police around the U.S., including two other cases on trial this week in Ohio and Wisconsin. The livestreaming of its aftermath by Mr. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was in the car with her then-4year-old daughter, attracted even more attention. The public outcry included protests in Minnesota that shut down highways and surrounded the governor’s mansion. Mr. Castile’s family claimed he was profiled because of his race, and the shooting renewed concerns about how police officers interact with minorities.