Philando Castile is 123rd Black Person Killed by Police This Year

By Kenrya Rankin Jul 07, 2016

Even as many people are still reeling from the Alton Sterling’s death at the hands of a police officer, the nation has another life to mourn: A cop from St. Anthony Police Department shot and killed 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop yesterday (July 6). A database maintained by The Washington Post shows that he is the 123rd Black American killed by police in 2016, and the 506th person overall.

Castile, girlfriend Lavisha “Diamond” Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter were pulled over in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, for a broken tail light. Reynolds says that an officer asked Castile, who is Black, for his license and registration. Castile reportedly told the officers that he had a firearm and a concealed carry permit before reaching for his wallet. And then an officer shot him four times. Local station WCCO reports that he died at Hennepin County Medical Center just after 11 p.m. local time.

Reynolds used the Facebook live feature to record the aftermath of the shooting.

Per The Washington Post:

Castile moaned and appeared to lose consciousness as the officer could be heard in the background shouting expletives in apparent frustration.

“Ma’am, keep your hands where they are,” he shouted at Reynolds. “I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hands up.”

“You told him to get his ID, sir, his driver’s license,” Reynolds responded. “Oh my god. Please don’t tell me he’s dead. Please don’t tell me my boyfriend just went like that.”

The St. Anthony Police Department posted a press release about the shooting late last night, saying that “shots were fired,” “a handgun was recovered from the scene” and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting. The officer has been placed on “standard paid leave.”

 

Protestors quickly gathered at the site of the shooting and outside the governor’s mansion.