Christine Haveford
New video footage has been released that shows the shocking moment a school canteen worker was “gunned down like a rabid animal” during a traffic stop in Minnesota.
Philando Castile was killed when Jeronimo Yanez opened fire through his car window on the 6th of July last year.
The incredibly heartbreaking incident sent shockwaves worldwide after Mr Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streamed the horrific aftermath on Facebook.
Her 4-year-old daughter, Dae’Anna was in the backseat.
But as members of the African- American community know only too well, justice in these case are hard to find.
Officer Yanez was found not guilty of manslaughter and other charges last week.
Now new dashcam video of the police officer firing seven shots into Mr Castile’s car, has caused fresh upset and disbelief.
According to Steve Belton, president of a local Minnesota civil rights group, the “powerfully painful” footage shows how the 32-year-old was “gunned down like a rabid animal.”
And he’s right. The video is hard to watch. What is worse still it shows Castile warning Officer Yanez that he has a firearm.
So why did he feel the need to kill him?
Officer Yanez told state investigators that he believed his life was danger because he smelled marijuana in Castile’s car.
Officer Yanez also said that Castile’s apparent willingness to use the drug in front of his young daughter and girlfriend led him to believe that the 32-year-old posed a serious threat.
“I thought if he’s, if he has the, the guts and the audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the five-year-old girl and risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her secondhand smoke and the front-seat passenger doing the same thing then what, what care does he give about me?” he said.
The newly-released dash cam video is shot from Officer Yanez’s police vehicle. It reveals how Castile was initially pulled over by Yanez and another officer for faulty brake lights.
Mr Castile tells the Officer Yanez: “I have to tell you I do have a firearm on me.”
He replies: “OK, don’t reach for it then. Don’t pull it out.”
Mr Castile reassures the officer “I’m not pulling it out”, before Officer Yanez repeats “Don’t pull it out” and then fires into the car as Miss Reynolds screams.
She later says: “You just killed my boyfriend. He wasn’t reaching for it.”
Officer Yanez calls for emergency services as he shouts “f***”.
He then orders his fellow officer to remove Miss Reynold’s four-year-old daughter from the vehicle.
A jury was shown the dashcam footage during Officer Yanez’s trial. But the despite the mountain of evidence the Latino officer was acquitted of all counts.
Prosecutors believed Yanez was not justified in firing his gun as Mr Castile was polite and non-threatening.
Days of protests have followed Officer Yanez’s acquittal. One attracted thousands of people and shut down a major highway for hours.
Meanwhile Officer Yanez will not return to active duty and will negotiate a “voluntary separation agreement”, officials said.
Mr Castile’s family plan to file a civil lawsuit.
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