Deliberations continue in trial of officer

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A jury deliberating a manslaughter charge against a Minnesota police officer in the death of a black motorist was struggling to reach agreement on Wednesday, ending its third day without a verdict after a judge’s order to continue trying.

Jury deliberations began Monday in the manslaughter trial of Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who shot 32-yearold Philando Castile during a July 6 traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb after Castile informed the officer that he was carrying a gun. Castile had a permit for the firearm.

Yanez, attorneys and family members for both Yanez and Castile returned to court Wednesday afternoon, leading to speculation a verdict had been reached. Judge William Leary, without explanation, re-read a portion of the jury instructions to jurors and told them to resume talks.

The material dealt with jurors carefully considering and re-examining their views and their duty to “deliberate with a view toward reaching agreement.”

The hearing took just a couple of minutes. The jury went back to continue deliberations but broke for the day soon after without a verdict. Deliberations will resume Thursday.

On Tuesday, jurors requested another look at the dashcam video captured by Yanez’s squad car that shows the shooting. The jury also watched a replay of the video that Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, livestreamed on Facebook.

Defense attorneys contend the 29-year-old Latino officer saw Castile reach for his weapon, that Yanez was scared for his life and was justified in shooting Castile. Prosecutors insist Yanez never saw a gun and had plenty of options short of shooting Castile, an elementary school cafeteria worker they say was never a threat.