Police Officer Charged With Manslaughter in Philando Castile Killing
When Philando Castile was fatally shot in Falcon Heights, Minnesota by a Minneapolis police officer on July 6, the live stream of his graphic death soon sparked outrage throughout the nation.
"He's licensed to carry. He was trying to get out his ID and his wallet out of his pocket and he let the officer know that he was — he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet," Diamond Reynolds, Castile's fiancée, says in the video shortly after the shooting occurred.
Nearly four and a half months later, in a significant step toward accountability, prosecutors have charged the police officer, Jeronimo Yanez, of second-degree manslaughter and determined that the use of deadly force was not justified.
"No reasonable officer — knowing, seeing and hearing what Officer Yanez did at the time — would have used deadly force under these circumstances,” the Ramsey County attorney, John J. Choi, said.
Police officers rarely face manslaughter charges for the killing of hundreds of American civilians yearly.
"In Minnesota, no charges had ever been filed against police officers in shooting deaths of civilians," MPR News reported.
“Without a doubt, we’re pleased,” Castile's uncle, Clarence Castile, said Wednesday shortly after Choi’s announcement.
Philando Castile, 32, was a school cafeteria worker and "a role model for hundreds of kids," his colleagues said.
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