The acquittal of Jeronimo Yanez sparked protests from thousands of people in the St. Paul area. Yanez, a police officer, shot and killed an African-American man, Philando Castile last July. Yanez faced the charge manslaughter among other offenses. Castile's family were disappointed with the court's decision.
Yanez cleared of all charges
On Friday, Yanez was cleared of all charges related to Castile’s killing. Philando Castile was shot dead by Yanez during a traffic stop, last year in July. The officer shot Castile, seconds after he informed him that he was carrying a gun.
Protesters were peaceful in their demonstrations. The crowd included people of diverse racial origins, together with children carrying placards that read “Corrupt systems only corrupt” and “Unite for Philando.” The protest was headed to block Interstate 94. However, they were confronted by police leading to a gridlock of over 90 minutes. But, the group reduced and the interstate was cleared without any external force from the police.
According to reports by The Guardian, police officers have arrested 18 people. Minnesota state police spokeswoman Tiffani Nielson confirmed on Saturday that police started arresting protestors at 12:30 am. The arrests occurred after issuing three warnings for them to stay away from Interstate 94.
The offenders have already been booked at Ramsey County jail. They will be charged with walking along the busy freeway.
Castile’s family have no faith in the system
Castile’s family decried the court’s decision to acquit Yanez. Castile’s mother said that: “The fact in this matter is that my son was assassinated, and I will endure saying assassinated, because where on this earth can you tell the truth, and you be frank, and you still be killed by the police of Minnesota.” Castile’s sister, Allysza, said that: “his brother didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” She, further, said that she would never believe in the system.
Prosecutors contended that Castile was not a threat and that Yanez had reacted excessively. It took the Judges five days of deliberations before arriving at the verdict. Yanez testified that he tried to command Castile not to pull his gun out of pocket, but he failed to comply. The defense argued that Castile was under the control of marijuana. Prosecutor John Choi concluded that “the decision is agonizing to many people, but must be respected.”
