Once the jury's decision came in Friday afternoon to acquit Officer Jeronimo Yanez of all charges surrounding him fatally shooting Philando Castile, public outcry has been swift and furious. See what Philando's family and protestors are saying say inside....
The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile has gotten off scott-free, nearly a year after his fatal encounter with driver Philando Castille was partially streamed online.
Last July, Yanez pulled over Castile in Falcon Heights, a suburb near Minneapolis and St. Paul, because the officer wrongly thought Castile matched the description of a suspect in a recent robbery. Castile made the officer aware that he was legally carrying a gun. After he reached for his license and registration, according to his fiance Diamond Reynolds who was in the passenger seat, he was shot.
Yanez fired into the car, saying later he thought Castile was going for his gun. There was no help administered, and Diamond started filming the aftermath on Facebook live.
According to a complaint filed in Minnesota state court, audio and video recordings interestingly show that the gunfire started just a minute after Castile stopped his car. According to Diamond, he had reached for his license and was shot before he could give it to the officer.
Yanez was charged back in November with second degree manslaughter and two felony counts of intentionally firing a weapon.
After about 5 days of deliberations, the Not Guilty verdict was reached.
Castile's mother gave a raw and emotional response to media outside the courthouse, saying:
“The system continues to fail black people, and it will continue to fail you all. My son loved this city and this city killed my son. And the murderer gets away. Are you kidding me right now?”
Philando's younger sister, Allysza Castile also was present and spoke up saying:
Yanezs's lawyer Earl Gray spoke saying:
“The verdict was a correct verdict,” he said, speaking to reporters after he left the courthouse. “In my opinion, the case should’ve never been charged.”
Yanez has also been dismissed from the police force.
The nation is pissed, again, and rightfully lashing out against the idea that law enforcement can take the life of a man simply because he "thought his life was in danger," even when said danger arguably isn't proven. Many believe, due to constant non-convictions of police officers who wrongfully kill, being black is simply inherently dangerous. That's a sad and overtly unfair burden that seemingly costs more black men and women their lives.
Protestors have been taking over the streets of Minnesota all day and night:
Demonstrators march in St. Paul, Minnesota, after officer who shot Philando Castile was found not guilty https://t.co/RtlBVYuBWh
— CNN (@CNN) June 17, 2017
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