Minnesota officer found not guilty in fatal shooting of Philando Castile

Facebook(ST. ANTHONY, Minn.) — A Minnesota police officer accused of fatally shooting a black man last summer has been found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Philando Castile, 32, was shot several times by St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino, last July after Castile was pulled over with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and Reynolds’ 4-year-old daughter in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul.

After the verdict was announced, Castile’s family addressed the media, applauding the efforts of Special Prosecutor Don Lewis and his team.

“I don’t know what more could have been done,” said Castile family attorney Glenda Hatchett. “I am disappointed. My heart breaks for this family. My heart breaks for this nation.”

Philando Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, said she was “mad as hell” with the verdict and called Yanez a “murderer.”

“The system continues to fail all black people,” she said.

She continued, “I am so disappointed in the state of Minnesota. My son loved this state.”

In a statement provided to ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP-TV, Reynolds said she was “incredibly disappointed” with the verdict.

“It’s a sad state of affairs when this type of criminal conduct is condoned simply because Yanez is a policeman,” Reynolds said. “God help America.”

Reynolds and her young daughter were in the car at the time of the shooting, and Reynolds live-streamed the aftermath on Facebook Live.

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