Days after officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, the victim’s Family expressed that they may file a civil action suit against the officer who shot and killed their relative.
The death of Castile, like many other police-related deaths, resulted in protests and civil unrest. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, took to Facebook Live to show the latter part of the incident with Yanez. A video recording from the police car of Yanez was also reviewed by the court but has not been made public yet. It's allegedly shows Yanez following Castile’s car before pulling him over.
Yanez then asked to see the license and registration of Castile.
Later, Castile handed over his registration card and announced that he has a firearm on him. Yanez told Castile not to reach for it and the latter contended he was not reaching for his firearm. Reynolds also assured the officer that her boyfriend will not pull the gun out as Castile had his hands up in the air. Yanez still reached into the car and fired a total of seven shots.
Reynolds’ Facebook Live video showed Castile bloodied while Yanez’s gun was still pointed at him. This caused outrage from different people and groups, such as Black Lives Matter, all over the nation.
Diamond Reynolds, Philando Castile’s family possible civil action filing
The attorney for Reynolds, Larry Rogers, noted that after last week’s verdict, they discussed the possibility of a civil action in an attempt to still hold Yanez liable since the criminal action did not prosper. Another attorney for the Castile family, Glenda Hatchett, confirmed the possibility of the civil action filing but did not provide other information on the matter.
Protests against Jeronimo Yanez acquittal continue
Monday was the fourth consecutive day that protests took place against the acquittal of Yanez. The protests in Minnesotta started on Friday evening after thousands gathered at the Capitol and others blocked I-94. Other protests took place in other states
The criminal case regarding Castile’s death will be made public this week as well as the video that showed Yanez fatally shooting Castile.
This could lead to even more protests.
Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, defends jury on acquitting Jeronimo Yanez
Despite the dismay from the many supporters of Castile and his family, Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, said that the jury that decided to acquit Yanez had an unbelievably high bar when it comes to convicting officers. A total of 12 jurors deliberated for five days on whether or not to acquit Yanez.
He added that law enforcement officials are given the discretion for the decisions they need to make “In a split second.” Zerwas went on to say that the killing of Castile was a tragedy but the jurors have already decided the police officer is innocent.
