Philando Castile Shooting Dash Cam Video Released By Police
Police released dashboard camera video Tuesday depicting a Minnesota police officer fatally shooting Philando Castile inside his car in July 2016. The video was made public for the first time, having only been seen by a jury prior to this point.
St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, 29, was charged with manslaughter for the shooting but was found not guilty on all counts and acquitted Friday. The dashcam video shows Yanez stopping Castile on the road, approaching his car and asking for appropriate documents.
Read: WATCH: Police Body Camera Footage Shows Moment Officer Shot Rifle Wielding Suspect
“Sir, I have something to tell you,” Castile could then be heard saying. “I do have a firearm on me.”
As Castile finished speaking, Yanez could then be seen with his hand on his own gun and shouting “Don’t pull it out!” before firing seven shots into the car.
The shooting garnered national attention because Castile’s girlfriend was inside the car at the time and live-streamed the portions of the situation on Facebook Live. In that video, Diamond Reynolds could be heard saying “police just shot my boyfriend for no apparent reason” while showing Castile soaked in blood. A child was also in the backseat of the car at the time. Reynolds also said in the video that Castile had not been reaching for his gun when he was shot.
Yanez testified in court that he saw Castile’s gun and that Castile ignored his warnings not to pull it out. He also said he feared for his life. After 27 hours of deliberations, the jury found Yanez not guilty on all counts, sparking protests in the city.
“My son loved this city, and this city killed my son,” Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, said Friday. “And a murderer gets away? Are you kidding me right now?”
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he was disappointed with the verdict after it was announced Friday.
“I… don’t doubt that Officer Yanez is a decent person as people testified in court,” Choi said in a press conference. “But he made a horrible mistake from our perspective and that was what this case was about, that good people can also make mistakes. I know that if he could he would take back what he did and all we wish and he would too, this never happened. But, unfortunately, we can’t. As hard as this is for some members of our community, we have to accept this verdict.”
Read: Police Release Dashcam Audio In Fatal Shooting Of Pregnant Mother
Following the verdict, the city announced Yanez would not be returning to duty as a police officer.
“The City of St. Anthony has concluded that the public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city,” the city said in a statement Friday. “The city intends to offer Officer Yanez a voluntary separation agreement to help him transition to another career other than being a St. Anthony officer. The terms of this agreement will be negotiated in the near future, so details are not available at this time. In the meantime, Officer Yanez will not return to active duty.”
Related Articles
