'Every concealed carrier's worst nightmare': Officer acquitted in shooting death of Philando Castile

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.