The Minnesota police officer responsible for the death of a black motorist on 6 July last year was on Friday acquitted of second-degree manslaughter.
A footage of the incident captured by the dashboard camera was released on Tuesday shows how officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot Philando Castile, 32, after pulling him over for a faulty taillight.
Apart from Castile, his girlfriend Lavish Reynolds and her four-year-old daughter were also present in the car.
Viewer discretion advised.
The released footage shows how Castile informs the officer “I do have a firearm” to which Yanez responds, “Ok, don’t reach for it then. Don’t pull it out.”
The cop then takes out his gun and shoots him seven times.
According to a Business Insider report, Yanez had told the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that he thought Castile would act “recklessly” as he smelled burnt marijuana from his car. He also said that Castile resembled a gas-station robbery suspect.
Yanez said he saw Castile reach out for an “object” near his right thigh.
The aftermath was also broadcast by Reynolds in an emotional Facebook Live where she can be heard saying, “Police shot him for no apparent reason, no reason at all”.
Viewer discretion advised.
(This admission season, The Quint got experts from CollegeDekho.com on board to answer all your college-related queries. Send us your questions at eduqueries@thequint.com .)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)