It's supposed to be a badge, not a license to kill. https://t.co/xz0XWFEK3W
— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) June 16, 2017
Last July, 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Castile had told Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who pulled him over, that he was licensed to carry and that he had a firearm on him at the time.
Today, Officer Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter in Castile’s death:
Breaking: Minn. officer acquitted of manslaughter for shooting Philando Castile during traffic stop https://t.co/9SEZMigjsr
— Tom Jackman (@TomJackmanWP) June 16, 2017
More from the Washington Post:
The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop was acquitted on all charges by a jury Friday, a decision that came nearly a year after the encounter was partially streamed online before a rapt nation in the midst of a painful reckoning over shootings by law enforcement.
Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled over Castile in Falcon Heights, a suburb near Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the officer later said he thought Castile matched the description of a suspect in a recent robbery. The stop quickly escalated. Yanez fired into the car, saying later he thought Castile was going for his gun, something disputed by Castile’s girlfriend [Diamond Reynolds], who began filming the aftermath with her phone.
…
In Minnesota, Reynolds calmly documented what happened after Yanez shot Castile, 32, a popular cafeteria worker at a local school. She explained into her phone that Castile was licensed to carry a firearm, and that he had told the officer that before reaching for his wallet.
…
Yanez approached the car window and asked Castile for his license and proof of insurance, which the driver handed over, the complaint states. Castile also told Yanez he had a firearm on him, and seconds later, the officer told the driver not to pull out the gun. Castile said he was not taking out the gun, which Reynolds echoed. Yanez screamed, “Don’t pull it out” and pulled his own gun out, firing seven shots at Castile, the complaint states.
The news has been greeted with near-universal shock and disgust:
https://twitter.com/hboulware/status/875813249203277824
My heart breaks for the family of #PhilandoCastile. Acquittal of police officer, in this particular case, was wrong.
— Demetrius Minor (@dminor85) June 16, 2017
This is appalling. Every. Time.
— EpiBen (@wellsbe) June 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/PinkHillProps/status/875810497051971585
This has to fucking stop. https://t.co/g1gaGOkIlc
— Brine That Turkey (@carolrhartsell) June 16, 2017
Fuck this
— Mayor Tweet (@incompl) June 16, 2017
From what I know of the case, this is an unjust verdict. https://t.co/w6WDMEk9Si
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/875809006819962880
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/875811400567926784
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/875811675684954115
It seems fair to ask what this case means for concealed carry permit holders.
Shouldn't the 2A types be really upset by this? The guy was legally carrying a firearm and was still shot. https://t.co/oermZdIvSl
— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) June 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/875815725386039298
This is the part that sticks in my mind. Gun safety classes teach you to tell the cops when you're carrying. He did. https://t.co/5U9dI8hnE1 pic.twitter.com/KE0G5NITXB
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) June 16, 2017
I'd like to hear from police officers (esp. those who train other cops) on how they think people should inform them they're carrying. /2
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) June 16, 2017
Because I don't see how the way #PhilandoCastile did it was wrong. Am I missing something? I don't think so. /3
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) June 16, 2017
I worry this case creates an incentive (a very understandable incentive!) to NOT disclose weapons when asked by police. /4
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) June 16, 2017
In a lot of these cases, it's obvious why the officer was in fear & what the deceased did wrong. Castile seems to have done none of that. https://t.co/yOaGVJgYTV
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) June 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/875816432046678016
In any event, it looks like despite being acquitted, Officer Yanez is still out of the job:
JUST IN: St. Anthony, the Minn. city where Officer Yanez works, said they no longer want him to be an officer there https://t.co/oDoadu1SU8
— Mark Berman (@markberman) June 16, 2017
Well, yes. https://t.co/phkiVHpgN1
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/875817301274185732
He certainly shouldn't be one. https://t.co/UvnQfWVfio
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) June 16, 2017
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional tweets.
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