Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who shot and killed African-American Philando Castile during a traffic stop, was charged with second-degree manslaughter Wednesday.
Castile’s death was streamed live on Facebook by his girlfriend, and protesters spent weeks calling for charges against the shooter.
Yanez will appear in court Friday to face the manslaughter charge as well as two felony counts of intentional discharge of a firearm, The New York Times reported.
Ramsey County attorney John J. Choi called Yanez’s behavior unreasonable given the circumstances. Castile was stopped in suburban Falcon Heights on July 6 and during the stop, disclosed that he had a gun and was licensed for concealed carry. Yanez asked for his license and registration, then shot Castile when he reached for his wallet to comply with the request.
According to the video and other witness testimony, Castile was peaceful and nonthreatening, and told the officers repeatedly that he was not pulling the gun out. Even so, Yanez fired seven rounds from his gun, fatally wounding Castile.
Protests started after the Facebook video went viral, and even the governor of Minnesota Mark Dayton said Castile’s race might have been a factor in the shooting.
Yanez has said Castile matched the description of a robber suspect believed to be in the area, the Star Tribune reported.
After Castile was shot, he reportedly said with his dying breath, “I wasn’t reaching for it,” according to the Star Tribune.
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