Officer Charged in Fatal Shooting of Philando Castile

St. Anthony Officer shot and killed Castile in July 2016

A Minnesota police officer has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of a black man in a St. Paul suburb, in July.

Prosecutors announced the charge against St. Anthony police officer, Jeronimo Yanez on Wednesday.

Yanez fatally shot 32-year-old, Philando Castile during a July 6 traffic stop in Falcon Heights. The aftermath of the shooting was streamed live on his girlfriend’s Facebook. She explained that Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling Yanez he had a gun permit and was armed.

A Minnesota prosecutor said that Yanez had no go reason to use deadly force on Castile, as he was not resisting or fleeing.

Ramsey County Attorney, John Choi says Castile had informed Yanez when the officer approached the car that he had a handgun, but Choi says evidence shows that Castile never removed or tried to remove the gun from his right pocket.

Choi adds that unreasonable fear on the part of a police officer, cannot justify the use of a deadly force.