Jeronimo Yanez shot Mr Castile after the black motorist informed him that he had a gun in his auto.
Not really. Philip Stinson, a criminologist at Ohio's Bowling Green State University who tracks fatal police shootings, compiled data that shows nearly 40 percent of cases in which officers were charged with murder or manslaughter since 2005 have ended in mistrials or acquittals when officers testified they feared for their life. Castile had earlier informed Yanez he had a firearm, which he had a permit to carry.
Outside the courthouse, Valerie Castile said Yanez got away with "murder", noting that her son was wearing a seatbelt and in a auto with his girlfriend and her then-4-year-old daughter when he was shot.
The jury also watched a replay of the video that Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, livestreamed on Facebook beginning seconds after Castile had been shot. The widely shared video draws protesters to the scene. The defense also argued Castile was high on marijuana and said that affected his actions. It is just the latest round of injustice delivered by a system that has always failed to hold police accountable for their crimes.
July 10: The governor condemns the shutdown of I-94 as "unlawful and extremely unsafe". 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.
"The system really is wrong, they really failed us", she said through tears.
July 13: Police arrest 42 protesters who block traffic on Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis during the morning rush.
July 26-27: Police arrest 69 protesters outside the governor's residence as officers clear out the blocked street in front of the mansion.
Despite the sting of this injustice, we remain committed to continuing the fight for justice against the epidemic of police killings.
The city says it concluded the public "will be best served" if Yanez no longer works for the city.
"He was compliant", Choi said. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Officer Betty Jo Shelby was acquitted of manslaughter last month in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man. Officers were also standing trial this week in fatal shootings in Cincinnati and Milwaukee. No charges were filed in that case. He became a licensed police officer in 2011 and joined the St. Anthony Police Department about four years ago. The review, still ongoing, includes an assessment of traffic stops and arrest demographics.
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Coats and Rogers have testified that they were not pressured by the Trump administration. "Nice", Trump wrote in his first tweet. Until recently, investigators had focused on alleged ties between the Kremlin and top officials in Mr Trump's campaign.
Yanez family members were seen hugging one another, and Yanez's mother hugged his attorney, Earl Gray, after the verdict.
Defense attorneys highlighted inconsistencies in Reynolds' statements to investigators to try to raise doubts about her honesty. The requests are automatically granted.
"Officer Yanez used deadly force as a first option rather than a last resort", Ramsey County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Paulsen told the jury during closing arguments.
The evidence included squad auto video, but its wide view didn't capture exactly what happened inside the vehicle - leaving jurors to essentially decide whether they believed Yanez when he said Castile had his hand on the gun.
Officers are rarely charged for fatal on-duty shootings.
Her video went viral, sparking protests both locally and nationally about police use of force, particularly against black men. It played a prominent role in last-minute budget negotiations but did not pass.
During the trial, Yanez testified that he saw Castile's gun and had ignored his orders not to pull it out. Castile's mother, Valerie Castile, abruptly left the court after the announcement and before court was formally dismissed.
During the trial, Kauser defended Yanez, his former partner. Defense attorneys appealed, but Leary's decision was upheld.
During his testimony, Yanez reiterated what he told investigators who probed the shooting, saying he thought his life was in danger at the time.
Officer Jeronimo Yanez is charged with manslaughter in the death of Philando Castile.
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