Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota officer who shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop, has been charged with manslaughter.
Castile, a 32-year-old cafeteria supervisor, was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. He was reaching for his license when Yanez shot him seven times at close range.
CAstile’s girlfriend live-streamed his dying moments after the shooting. His final words before he died were, “I was not reaching for it,” referring to his weapon.
Yanez’s attorney claims his client was reacting to the “presence” of a gun. But evidence photos shows the gun, which Castile carried in his waistband, was not visible.
The manslaughter charge comes just 8 days after Donald Trump was elected president by a landslide over Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s no-nonsense approach to widespread corruption in federal agencies has had a sobering effect on police precincts that depend on government funding.
Already the nation has seen a sharp decrease in officer-related shooting deaths of unarmed black men.
