The fiancee of a Minnesota man who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in front of his wife to be and her daughter has agreed to a $800,000 settlement. Diamond Reynolds and her four-year-old daughter watched on as Philando Castile was shot by police
The fiancee of a Minnesota man who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in front of his wife to be and her daughter has agreed to a $800,000 settlement.
Diamond Reynolds and her four-year-old daughter watched on helplessly as Philando Castile was shot by officer Jeronimo Yanez, later acquitted of all charges.
The St. Anthony City Council voted on Tuesday night to pay $675,000 to Reynolds and her daughter, who was four when Castile was shot.
Reynolds will also receive $125,000 from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and the city of Roseville where Reynolds was detained by police.
Castile was driving in Falcon Heights in July 2016 when Yanez pulled him over and shot him after he said he was armed.
Reynolds streamed the shooting’s aftermath live on Facebook.
Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges, leading to outraged protests across America.
After Yanez was acquitted, the dash-cam footage from Yanez’s patrol car was released.
It showed the seconds leading up to the shooting, though was never shown to the jury in court, despite being frequently referenced.
It showed from start to finish how Yanez pulled the family over and told Castile and his girlfriend that their taillight was broken.
And how rapidly the situation escalated after Castile, who was licensed to carry a weapon, calmly informed him he was armed.
Castile (left) was driving in Falcon Heights in July 2016 when Officer Jeronimo Yanez (right) pulled him over and shot him after he said he was armed. Reynolds streamed the shooting’s aftermath live on Facebook
‘Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me,’ Castile said in the footage.
Four seconds later, Yanez began shooting.
Before Castile has even finished talking, the officer began pulling his weapon out of the holster.
Yanez said, ‘OK. Don’t reach for it then. Don’t pull it out!’ before firing into the car.
After being shot Castile wailed: ‘I wasn’t reaching!’ – a detail Yanez left out of his police interview when asked if he’d the victim had anything after being shot.
‘No he did not respond. Um he just kept his arms up and I don’t remember hearing anything coming out of his mouth if he said anything,’ he had claimed.
The harrowing video also showed Reynold’s young daughter opening the door of the car and slowly crawling out, confused, as her father lay reeling in the front seat after being shot.
She was scooped up in confusion by Yanez’s partner and taken away from the vehicle.
After the shooting, Castile’s girlfriend live-streamed the bloody scene on Facebook in a video that went viral
Officers ordered Reynolds out of the car, and she got out, hands held high. Soon, she was heard wailing. Her daughter eventually joined her in the back of the cruiser.
Footage from the back of the cop car, obtained by an FOIA request, showed Reynolds screaming in anguish and anger before her terrified daughter begged her to stop.
‘Mom, please don’t scream ’cause I don’t want you to get shooted!’ she sobbed, giving her handcuffed mother a hug.
‘I can’t believe they just did that,’ she whispered to herself in the video. ‘Please let him be ok.’
Yanez is seen above pointing his gun in the car after shooting Castile. The victim’s four-year-old daughter was in the backseat at the time and let herself out cautiously after the first shots were fired. She was scooped up by Yanez’s partner
‘I can keep you safe,’ the little girl tells her mother.
The mom-of-one, who had repeatedly asked police if they could remove her handcuffs so she could call family and friends to ask for them to pick her and her daughter up, said: ‘Damn, is there no one to take these b*****s off?’
To which her panicked daughter pleaded with her to stop.
‘No, please no! I don’t want you to get shooted! Don’t take them off until they take them off you,’ the four-year-old told her.
The youngster who had just witnessed her mom’s fiance get shot by police in front of her own eyes, then said to herself: ‘I wish this town was safer… and we wouldn’t live in it.
The police dash cam recorded Castile being brought out of the car and lying on the road
‘I don’t want it to be like this anymore.’
Reynolds was also heard desperately praying that her boyfriend was still alive.
‘He’s a good man lord, Jesus, please, please, please,’ she repeated.
Police did not tell her Castile was dead until she was in the interview room at the station.