Via Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Newly released footage of the moment Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was acquitted Friday, shot and killed Philando Castile.
Yanez, who was acquitted of one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety, testified he feared for his life as he thought Castile was reaching for his gun from his pocket. While prosecutors said Yanez was too quick to pull the trigger, he was not convicted on any charges.
However, following Yanez’s acquittal, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension opened its case file on the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, and therefore, released the dashcam footage of his death.
In the 10-minute-clip, Castile is seen being pulled over by Officer Yanez. Yanez informs Castile that one of his break lights is out. At this point, Yanez asks Castile for his license and registration, and Castile provides one of the two. It is at this point that Castile tells Officer he has a gun, saying ‘Sir, I have to tell you I have a firearm on me.’ Yanez warns Castile not to ‘pull out’ his firearm, to which Castile reply he is not, but by that time, Yanez was already firing.
Yanez fired seven shots into Castile, killing him almost instantly.
via CNN:
Jurors deliberated 27 hours and heard two weeks of testimony about the July 6 traffic stop, in which Yanez pulled over a car driven by Castile, 32, with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4-year-old daughter as passengers.
An audio recording captured Castile telling Yanez he had a gun in the car, and the officer telling Castile not to reach for it. Seconds later, Yanez opened fire. Prosecutors portrayed Yanez as a nervous officer who lost control of his traffic stop. He was too quick to pull the trigger after learning Castile had a gun, based on an unreasonable suspicion that he was a robbery suspect, they said.
Yanez, a St. Anthony officer, testified he feared for his life because Castile put his hand on his firearm, not his wallet or identification papers, and was pulling the gun from his pocket.
Diamond Reynolds, Castile’s girlfriend who was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, released a statement following Yanez’s acquittal:
“He did nothing but comply with Officer Yanez’s instructions to get his driver’s license. He was seat belted and doing as he was told, when he was shot by Officer Yanez who fired seven shots into the vehicle where my …. daughter and I also sat. It is a sad state of affairs when this type of criminal conduct is condoned simply because Yanez is a policeman. God help America.”
The St. Anthony Derpartment, the department which Yanez worked for, released a statement that Yanez would no longer be employed there:
“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,” according to the city’s statement. “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.”
If convicted, Yanez faced 10 years in prison and being fined up to $20,000 on the manslaughter charge and five years and fined $5,000 on each of the other charges.
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