Philando Castile was shot and killed by a cop during a routine traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds, live streamed most of the incident on her Facebook page.
Reynolds claims the cop, who she describes in the video as a “Chinese police officer” from the St. Anthony Police Department in Falcon Heights, Minnestoa, asked Castile, to show his license. Castile, a cafeteria supervisor at a school in St Paul, warned the officer that he was carrying a legal weapon. The officer then shot Castile four times while he reached for his license. All of this took place while Reynolds young daughter was in the back seat of the car. Police has confirmed Castile died in the hospital. The police officer, who has yet to be identified, has been placed on paid leave.
“Stay with me.We got pulled over for a busted tail light in the back,” are the first words heard in her video.
In the hours after the shooting, at around 3 AM, about 200 protesters appeared outside Governor Mark Dayton’s home in Saint Paul, demanding that he wake up to address the Castile situation. Video from the scene shows the crowd chanting Castile’s name. The governor did not speak to the protesters, and was evacuated from his mansion.
According to Castile’s Facebook page, Castile studied at the University of Minnesota. Clarence Castile, Philando Castile’s uncle, told CNN that the family is devastated. Via CNN:
“We all know my nephew was a good kid and we want justice as well as relief. The images of my nephew dying are the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Castile said.
There is also footage of the officers attempting to perform CPR on Castile:
https://twitter.com/skeletontrash/status/750887955514814466
This story is developing. Please refresh for updates.
