Minnesota officer who fatally shot Philando Castile charged with manslaughter

Prosecutors in Minnesota charged a police officer with second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday for fatally shooting a black motorist, Philando Castile, during a traffic stop in a Twin Cities suburb over the summer.

The shooting's aftermath was broadcast on Facebook Live by Diamond Reynolds, Castile's girlfriend, and the footage quickly spread across social media and cable news.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said at a news conference in St. Paul, Minn., that Jeronimo Yanez, the St. Anthony officer who shot Castile, would also be charged with endangering the lives of Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter, who was also in the car. These counts, along with the manslaughter charge, are all felonies.

"No reasonable officer knowing, seeing and hearing what Officer Yanez did at the time would have used deadly force under these circumstances," Choi said. "I have given Officer Yanez every benefit of the doubt on his use of deadly force, but I cannot allow the death of a motorist who was lawfully carrying a firearm under these facts and circumstances to go unaccounted for."

Yanez, who said he feared for his life at the time of the shooting, could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $40,000, according to the 10-page criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.

Castile, a well-liked cafeteria manager at a local school, is one of at least 840 people fatally shot by police this year, according to a Washington Post database. While officers who fatally shoot people are rarely charged, that number has at least 840 people fatally shot by police this year, according to a Washington Post database. While officers who fatally shoot people are rarely charged, that number has ticked up in recent years amid intense national scrutiny on how police use force, and video footage has increasingly emerged in these shootings.

The complaint states that Yanez pulled over Castile, 32, after seeing him driving on the night of July 6 and saying that he looked like a suspect in a convenience store robbery days earlier. Choi said Wednesday that Castile is not a suspect in the robbery.

Yanez pulled Castile over at 9:04 p.m., and less than a minute later, began firing the first of seven shots into the car. One bullet hit the armrest between Castile and Reynolds, the complaint said, while another went through the driver's seat and hit the back seat behind Castile. Reynolds's daughter was in a car seat on the passenger side of the back seat.

Authorities said that they reviewed audio recordings from Yanez's squad car as well as video footage of the stop in determining the timeline. In the complaint, prosecutors say that Yanez approached Castile's car and told him about a problem with his brake light.

After Castile handed Yanez his insurance card, Castile then said, "Sir, I have to tell you that I do have a firearm on me." Yanez, before Castile finished the sentence, put his hand on his holstered gun and calmly replied "OK," according to the complaint.

Seconds later, Yanez told Castile not to pull out his gun, to which Castile said, "I'm not pulling it out," and Reynolds echoed the same message, the complaint said. Yanez then screamed, "Don't pull it out" before pulling his own gun out and firing seven shots at Castile.

The complaint then quotes Reynolds's statement made in the Facebook live stream that went viral after the shooting: "He killed my boyfriend."

According to Choi, Castile's final words were, "I wasn't reaching for it."

[A killing. A pointed gun. And two black lives, witnessing.]

Choi said that Yanez gave contradictory statements about what happened. The county attorney called Yanez's use of deadly force unjustified, noting that while Castile was armed at the time he was pulled over, he "never removed or tried to remove" the .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun in his pocket. Choi also said that at the time Castile was shot, his wallet contained his driver's license and permit to carry a pistol.

Castile's death occurred in Falcon Heights, a suburb near both Minneapolis and St. Paul, the state capital, and involved Yanez and another officer, both belonging to the department in St. Anthony, a neighboring city.

Yanez and his partner, Officer Joseph Kauser, were both put on leave from the St. Anthony Police Department after the shooting. Kauser will not face any charges, Choi said. The complaint states that Kauser did not touch or remove his gun and said he was surprised when Yanez opened fire.

Both Yanez and Kauser have been with their police department for four years, and they were considered model students before receiving their degrees in law enforcement in 2010.

In a statement, the city of St. Anthony said that it has "confidence that justice will be served" and that officials would not make "any comments that could hinder a fair and impartial determination" in the case. Mark Casey, the city manager, said Wednesday that Yanez remains on paid administrative leave.

Yanez will make his first court appearance Friday afternoon and plans to turn himself in, Choi said.

A lawyer listed as representing Yanez did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said the group was "disappointed" by the charges.

"Police officers in Minnesota and across the country face pressures of life and death situations daily," Dennis Flaherty, executive director of the association, said in a statement. "No one can speak for Officer Yanez as to what he actually encountered and what he feared that evening. We hope all people can understand that and can refrain from judgment."

Flaherty said his group expects Yanez to plead not guilty.

Choi said Castile's relatives were told on Tuesday night of the decision to pursue charges, and they praised the decision during a separate news conference on Wednesday.

"The family is pleased with that recommendation," said Valerie Castile, the victim's mother, surrounded by other relatives. "We are here in solidarity, my family and I, to support that decision."

After Castile's death, demonstrators marched to the governor's mansion in St. Paul, and Gov. Mark Dayton (D) apologized to Valerie Castile.

Glenda Hatchett, the attorney representing Castile's family, said they plan to file a civil lawsuit stemming from his death.

Police officers are rarely charged after deadly on-duty shootings. Between 2005 and 2014, 48 officers were charged in shootings, according to Philip M. Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who studies arrests of officers. Since the beginning of 2015, 30 officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter due to an on-duty shooting, Stinson said, a tally that includes Yanez.

Stinson said his records, which date back to 2005, show that Yanez is the first Minnesota officer charged for an on-duty shooting over that span.

Castile's death came during a particularly fraught moment nationwide, during a spate of shootings by and of police. He was shot and killed a day after an officer in Baton Rouge fatally shot Alton Sterling, and the two shootings set off a series of protests nationwide.

At one of these demonstrations, a lone attacker in Dallas killed five police officers in an act of apparent retaliation, followed by another ambush that killed three officers in Baton Rouge later that month and fueled fears among law enforcement.

In another case that prompted protests, police in Minneapolis fatally shot Jamar Clark, 25, on Nov. 15, 2015. Prosecutors said earlier this year that the officers involved would not face charges because they believed Clark was trying to grab one of their guns.