Warning: Video above features disturbing content.
Dash cam video released Tuesday shows the actual shooting of Philando Castile by Officer Jeronimo Yanez in Minnesota.
Footage shows police pulling over Castile for a broken taillight before the incident turned tragic. Yanez first asked for a license and insurance registration.
“I have to tell you I do have a firearm on me,” Castile said.
Yanez opened fire after giving several orders to not pull out the gun.
The footage, released by Ramsey County, does not offer a clear view of Castile’s actions.
Yanez was acquitted Friday on all counts: second-degree manslaughter and two counts of reckless discharge of a firearm. The defense argued he killed Castile because he believed the man was going to pull out his weapon. Prosecutors were skeptical, asking if he even saw a weapon in the first place, or simply assumed Castile was reaching for it.
This incident caught national attention because of viral video from Castile’s girlfriend Diamond Reynolds. She started recording just after the shooting, and claimed her boyfriend was just reaching for his wallet. Her child was in the backseat. Yanez’s critics said this is part of larger pattern in which police are more likely to brutalized black people.
The officer, who is Hispanic, will probably be out of a job soon. Despite the acquittal, city officials in St. Anthony, Minnesota told The Washington Post they will offer him a voluntary separation agreement.
Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
[Screengrab via Ramsey County]
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
