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Jim Mone

Officer who shot man in incident streamed on Facebook charged with manslaughter

Officer Jeronimo Yanez was also charged with two felony counts of intentional discharge of a dangerous weapon.

THE MINNESOTA POLICE officer who fatally shot 32-year-old African American Philando Castile, in an incident caught in video footage that shocked the US, was charged yesterday with second-degree manslaughter.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez was also charged with two felony counts of intentional discharge of a dangerous weapon, for endangering the safety of Castile’s girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her four-year-old daughter. Both were in the car when the officer shot Castile during a traffic stop.

The 6 July shooting was partially captured on video recorded by Reynolds and broadcast on Facebook Live, sparking protests across the United States. In it Castile can be seen bleeding to death in the driver’s seat.

His last words, revealed by authorities, were “I wasn’t reaching for it” – referring to the gun he had informed the officer that he legally carried with a permit.

“Based upon our thorough and exhaustive review of the facts of this case, it is my conclusion that the use of deadly force by Officer Yanez was not justified, and that sufficient facts exist to prove this to be true,” said John Choi, the Ramsey County Attorney whose office is prosecuting the case.

*Warning: This video may upset some viewers*

neighborhoodpaperboy / YouTube

Castile’s shooting shocked the nation, coming just a day after a graphic video of another police shooting of an African-American man in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Both incidents further exposed the tensions between US police and African-Americans, triggering Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country.

‘A loud message’

Castile’s family said at a news conference Wednesday that it was supportive of the prosecution, including the decision to charge the officer not with murder, but with a lesser manslaughter charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

“The worst thing that can happen is that the officer is overcharged, and he is found not to be responsible for those charges,” said Glenda Hatchett, a television personality and former judge who is the family’s lawyer.

“We are intending for this case to send a loud message that things must change in this country,” said Hatchett, adding that the family was also planning a civil lawsuit.

“We all hope and pray that the right thing is done,” Castile’s mother Valerie said.

Yanez is expected to turn himself in tomorrow, when he will make his first appearance in criminal court.

© AFP, 2016

Read: Woman posts live Facebook video after her boyfriend is shot dead by police

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    Mute king Tut
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    Nov 17th 2016, 9:04 AM

    That headline is atrocious. Was the man dead before the officer shot him? The officer shot a man dead. He did not shoot a dead man.

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    Mute Trisha Tully
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    Nov 17th 2016, 10:25 AM

    Not the time to try to be funny king Tut.

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    Mute king Tut
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    Nov 17th 2016, 4:06 PM

    @Trisha Tully, it wasn’t an attempt at humour. The headline was terrible. Eats shoots and leaves if ya know what I mean.

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    Mute king Tut
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    Nov 17th 2016, 4:08 PM

    @Tricia Tully. And if you notice, the journal has changed the headline.

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Nov 17th 2016, 8:32 AM

    And he just gets charged with manslaughter? Are they for real?this is cold-blooded murder,nothing less! That video is truly shocking. It’s pure race hate stuff.That poor woman and that little girl must be so traumatised.Again this gun crap needs to be sorted.Thank God we don’t have armed uniformed police in this country and no private citizens allowed to carry guns.Will they ever sort out their gun policy?Definitely not now that this Trump is coming.

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    Mute just readin
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    Nov 17th 2016, 8:42 AM

    @Gerry Fallon: The family’s lawyer thinks a Jury would not conflict the officer of Murder but feel Manslaughter charge may get a conviction .

    Jury’s rarely convict cops , does not matter who the victim is or what crime the cop commits .

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 17th 2016, 9:00 AM
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    Mute Dave Kerins
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    Nov 17th 2016, 10:17 AM

    @Gerry Fallon:
    We do have armed uniformed police in thus country and private citizens licensed to carry guns.

    14
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    Mute Paul Tao
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    Nov 17th 2016, 8:38 AM

    American juries refuse to convict cops.

    41
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    Mute Curragh Bill
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    Nov 17th 2016, 10:37 AM

    Well I’ll be damned seems the snowflakes within the journal or maybe a snowflake journal contributor can’t handle the truth about Black Lives Matter?, and yeah blacks did riot and plunder Fergusen after the Michael Brown shooting.

    “Stand with us in affirming Black lives,” she declares. “Not just all lives. Black lives. Please do not change the conversation by talking about how your life matters, too.” The “tired trope that we are all the same,” Garza elaborates, serves only to “perpetuate a level of White supremacist domination.”

    The above is a qoute from the lead founder of BLM Alicia Garza, and it seems black lives only matter if they’re killed by someone with whiteskin prefarably a cop, but black on black lives are not really that important though they make up probably 99% of all black murders.

    So journal if you’re going to remove my posts do so for a good reason, I expressed an opinion but it seems my opinion didn’t fit with the status quo of the regressive left ideology?.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 17th 2016, 11:48 AM

    @Curragh Bill: You ok precious?

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    Mute Curragh Bill
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    Nov 17th 2016, 12:05 PM

    @Francis Mc Carthy: Perfectly fine thanks, just sick of the journal removing perfectly legitimate posts for no apparent reason.

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    Mute William Kavanagh
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    Nov 17th 2016, 3:14 PM

    Francis, like I said before, justice does not happen right away, this cop was charged, now will face his day in court. The rioting that happened after these events are also wrong, but that is fine.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 17th 2016, 7:11 PM

    William,has there ever been court cases before for killing a black man in the last few years ? Can you tell me how many times that they were found guilty? Thanks in advance.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 17th 2016, 7:12 PM

    *police officers killing black people *

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 17th 2016, 7:20 PM

    As I said to you on here before,as long as the police officers have impunity to kill,nothing will change

    Here is the law that the lawyers will no doubt use when that case starts :Tennessee v. Garner

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    Mute Micheal OLainn
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    Nov 17th 2016, 8:52 AM

    It’s the least serious offence that he could properly be charged with.

    The test for police officers shooting to kill is largely subjective and conviction, even for manslaughter, is fare from a certainty.

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    Mute B9xiRspG
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    Nov 17th 2016, 10:55 AM

    Interesting the outrage people have on this because of a video that started after the event.

    What do we REALLY know other than the person was shot by a police officer?

    Well we know that he was armed and licensed to carry.

    We know that he didn’t identify to the police officer that he was armed.

    We know that he reached for his license when asked by the officer which exposed his weapon.

    We know that the officer assumed he was going for his weapon – wrongly assumed but understandably.

    Now I can understand the officer drawing his own weapon in defence but when he does he must have realised that the driver hadn’t drawn his own weapon, the officer had time to deal with the situation and not shot.

    Do I think the officer is guilty of murder – probably not because I don’t know what I would do in that situation but I’m not trained.

    This isn’t a clear and cut case so I’m not sure if he would be found guilty of anything as a jury will see that the driver didn’t follow procedures that the driver was trained on for carrying a concealed weapon.

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Nov 17th 2016, 11:17 AM

    I thought he did say he had a gun to the officer which is the main point that he was still shot.

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    Mute Greg Blake
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    Nov 17th 2016, 11:27 AM

    Simply, Jim, the officer either panicked and therefore should not be in the job, or he had no care for the life of anyone else and just snuffed him out rather than take the slightest chance. At minimum (I don’t suppose there’s such a law) he should be jailed for an act of cowardice leading to a death.

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    Mute Niamh Kenneally
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    Nov 17th 2016, 3:43 PM

    @B9xiRspG: Put that in this context and you may see it differently:
    James Holmes, who went to a theatre and massacred 24 people, armed to the teeth, was arrested and brought in by police completely unharmed.

    Is it a coincidence that James is white and Philando is black?

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 17th 2016, 7:17 PM

    @Niamh Kenneally: Dylann Roof got treated to a Burger King meal after he massacred 9 people at a church in Charleston -because he wanted ‘to kill black people’.

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    Mute gavin brett
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    Nov 17th 2016, 12:24 PM

    All he had to do was keep his hands on the wheel and do what he was told here’s a very simple question yes the poor man is dead (for not obeying the lawman) but by God his girlfriend will cash in Facebook why not use the phone to dial 911

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    Mute DamoDeMan
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    Nov 17th 2016, 1:28 PM

    @gavin brett: He was following the policemans orders to hand over his licence
    Not the first to have that happen too
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUyDY9YBiDQ

    Easy to say “do what the police tell you to”
    then when you do exactly as they tell you, they shoot you.
    I agree with you about hands on steering wheel
    Tell them you have a gun,tell them where it is
    Tell them where your licence is and that you do not want to reach for it because they might shoot you.
    When they demand it, talk your way through it, only moving very slowly when they give you permission.

    Land of the FREE!!!!!!!!
    I do not think so.

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    Mute Niamh Kenneally
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    Nov 17th 2016, 3:45 PM

    @gavin brett: Keep his hands on the wheel AND hand over his licence?
    That’s like in The Young Ones – “Shut up AND tell you the answer?”

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