Posted on 06/16/2017 1:50:59 PM PDT by ColdOne
A Minnesota police officer who was charged with manslaughter after he shot a black motorist five times during a traffic stop last year was found not guilty by a jury on Friday, according to multiple reports.
Defense attorneys said Jeronimo Yanez, the 29-year-old Latino police officer, was scared for his life when he shot Philando Castile, 32, seconds after Castile informed the officer he was armed.
Prosecutors insisted Yanez never saw the gun and had plenty of options other than shooting Castile, who was an elementary school cafeteria worker.
The officer was also acquitted of two counts of firing a weapon that endangers safety, according to CNN, which reported that several members of Castile's family screamed profanities and cried Friday after the verdicts were announced.
ADVERTISEMENT Castile's death went viral after his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live streamed the immediate aftermath of the shooting on Facebook, seconds after Castile was shot by the officer.
Video captured from Yanez's squad car showed Yanez approaching Castile's car and Castile's voice warning the officer, "Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me." Before Castile can even finish the sentence, Yanez begins shouting. There is an exchange of words, before Yanez yells, "Don't pull it out!" and shoots Castile five times.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Doesn’t sound like a good shoot to me.
If the guy is telling you he has a gun, why would you get the idea he’s trying to get the jump on you?
If he says something like, “I’ve got a gun so you better just watch it!”, that could have set off some alarms. Failing that, the officer should be exposed to a criminal conviction.
If the guy had a permit or recognized right to carry concealed in the jurisdiction, it seems to me this officer should have been convicted and had the book thrown at him.
Perp had marijuana and alcohol in his system, marijuana in the car, thus invalidating his “questionable” permit to carry. Word is he lied on the application for that.
Thus, illegal carry of a loaded firearm.
I remember this event. Original video was reversed as if it was a right hand drive car. People thought that the perp was in the passenger seat because of it. This story makes the cop look bad. The story at the time didn’t. Apparently the jury agreed with the original facts.
It was a righteous shoot. The officer doesn’t have to wait until he is SHOT to determine for sure if it was a wallet or a GUN!
All of our vehicles are registered and titled in my wife’s name. She is not a ccw holder. A neighboring blue state isn’t so keen on the concept. What should have been a routine speeding traffic stop with her driving and me as a passenger prompted this change. I now have a teenage daughter driving and can’t imagine the hassle she would be subjected to after plates are run.
Decent point. The fact that he "got away with it" doesn't necessarily mean that he acted properly. There might well be some grey area here which—even if he wasn't convicted—still leaves some room for improvement, especially if the person who was shot wasn't really a threat.
What I'm saying is, just because the officer wasn't convicted doesn't mean all is well...
“Hate to say but Minneapolis just made the case that every CCW holder has reason to fear for their life in every encounter with law enforcement.”
You obviously don’t know much about the case.
My accountant knows the cops partner very well (practically raised him) and I have followed all the details of the case closely.
Do some research. The cop had good reason to fear for his life.
I tend to agree with you.
Why? The story I read a while back was the guy was reaching for his weapon.no nury on the planet would convict with that knowledge.
“Totally disagree! Carrying, or not, do NOT rummage around the cockpit for your permit, license, etc. as the officer approaches your vehicle. Keep hands on the top of steering wheel, await further instructions.
This incident would have diffused, had the perp not been reaching for something, but kept his hands in sight.
Simple!”
A couple of years ago my wife and I were pulled over on a dark highway for speeding. My attention was focused on the cop who seemed a little on edge as he approached the driver’s side window. I had the window open and my hands on the wheel awaiting instructions. As the cop gets to the window I hear a rustling on the passenger side and my wife is elbows deep in the glove box which is full of papers looking for the registration. It was an oh Shite moment which ended up ok, but after the cop left we had a discussion on what to do and NOT to do during a traffic stop.
Thanks. I try to back officers. In some instance you simply can’t.
They have to be called to account fairly also. When they aren’t, it casts a dark shadow on all other officers. It makes the system look corrupt. And in some cases, it is.
Very bad.
I think of the ATF at Waco. Why do we detest all ATF officers? That incident destroyed their credibility, their very justification for being an agency.
Nobody stood up and said what they did to start that fiasco was wrong. No, instead other government agencies covered for them.
Then folks covered for them too.
Look how destructive that was.
Instead of admitting some very bad seeds used terrible judgement and a few of them belonged in prison as a result, you had everyone even remotely involved tainted.
It just destroyed credibility.
The ATF, the FBI, you came away thinking these agencies were just rotten to the core.
None of them saw anything the government agencies did at the Davidian complex to be wrong.
To this day they don’t. They lied. They covered up. They destroyed evidence. It was a cluster —— from the word go.
They think they got away with it. No, they just destroyed any faith in the agencies involved.
Deal with the problem people! You have to.
So, shoot him, right? What does all that have to do with a cop that, sees officers all over the country shoot first and question later, shoots a guy knowing he'll be backed up for killing a guy that did nothing to warrant being shot to death.
But, he should be required to make sure it was a gun. Do you think you'd get away with that argument?
But when the cop demands your license? Rock...hard place. But a stop for a tail light? To me, pretext.
Really?
“An officer who arrived on the scene, Roseville police Officer Juan Toran, said he performed CPR on Castile. As paramedics were rolling Castile onto a backboard, Toran said he saw the gun slide out of Castile’s front right pocket. Toran said he didn’t even have to reach into the pocket to grab it.
But St. Paul firefighter Eric Torgerson, a paramedic, testified that he saw an officer reach deeply into the pocket to retrieve the pistol.”
Any light you could shed on the following would be appreciated:
1) Where was Castille’s gun during the stop (in a holster?, on his lap?, tucked into his waistband? in a pant’s pocket?tucked into the car seat or side panel? etc.)
2) What sort of firearm was it?
3) Was it loaded? A round chambered?
4) Did the defense bring up the notion that the vehicle matched the description of one used in connection with a recent nearby convenience store robbery? There were internet claims that Castille even looked like the robber, and the girlfriend was in possession of the same brand of cigarettes as those taken. Was that all a lie?
5) Were Castille or his girlfriend under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident?
Thanks.
Any light you could shed on the following would be appreciated:
1) Where was Castille’s gun during the stop (in a holster?, on his lap?, tucked into his waistband? in a pant’s pocket?tucked into the car seat or side panel? etc.)
2) What sort of firearm was it?
3) Was it loaded? A round chambered?
4) Did the defense bring up the notion that the vehicle matched the description of one used in connection with a recent nearby convenience store robbery? There were internet claims that Castille even looked like the robber, and the girlfriend was in possession of the same brand of cigarettes as those taken. Was that all a lie?
5) Were Castille or his girlfriend under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident?
Thanks.
My opinion is the cop panicked,and should have been convicted of negligent homicide for failing ascertain the real threat level. Same with the trial going on in Cincinnati right now. This isn’t Judge Dredd where the cop,judge,and executioner are one and the same. Nervous and panic prone should not be cops.
And ,as yet, the police are not authorized to execute drug users Philippines style.
Nor should anyone expect Americans to instantly freeze at the word police. American police should all remember we are all citizens with rights.
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