Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop in July 2016 was acquitted of all charges on Friday. Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter and if convicted would have faced 20 years in prison.
The decision is sure to be viewed by many as evidence that police officers can kill black Americans with impunity. In May, the Oklahoma police officer who killed Terence Crutcher in September 2016 was also acquitted of all charges.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Paulsen said that the video of the event showed that Castile, who was licensed to carry a gun and told officer Yanez he had a gun in the car, was acting normally and courteously. Paulsen said the defense was blaming the victim. “He offered no resistance," he said. "He made no threats. He didn’t even complain about being stopped for such a minor offense.”
Source: nytimes.com
