A man who was licensed to conceal carry has been killed after being shot by a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer multiple times on Wednesday while pulled over for a busted headlight in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
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Philando Castile died at Hennepin Medical Center in Minneapolis just a few hours after his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds posted a live video on Facebook of Castile bleeding profusely.
In the video, Reynolds is sitting in the passenger side of the car pleading with police. Reynolds narrates what happened during the shooting. It may appear that Reynolds is sitting in the driver’s seat but the way that Facebook Live recording works is that it ends up reversing everything. You can also see the steering wheel in front of Castile.
Reynolds says that the officer asked Castile if he had a gun, to which he says he does. The officer then asks Castile for registration but as he moves towards his back pocket to get his ID, the officer shoots him in the arm three times according to Reynolds.
A young girl is heard crying in the backseat of the car and the police officer can be seen holding a gun towards Castile.
Reynolds says in the video that Castile is licensed to carry a gun.
Clarence Castile, Philando Castile’s uncle, told CNN that Philando worked as a kitchen supervisor for the St. Paul School District and owns a concealed carry permit.
“He’s not an officer,” Clarence Castille told CNN. “He’s just a man. An officer is supposed to protect and serve. That was a man who did that. That man is a destroyer and he came into our lives and done something and took something from us.”
“Everybody that knows my son knows that he is a laid back, quiet individual that works hard every day, pays taxes and comes home and plays video games. That’s it,” Philando’s mother, Valerie Castile told CNN. “He’s not a gang banger. He’s not a thug. He’s very respectable. And I know he didn’t antagonize that officer in any way to make him feel like his life was threatened.”
Sgt. Jon Mangseth, the interim chief of the St. Anthony Police Department, said in a short news conference that one officer has been placed on administrative leave.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Assistance is investigating the incident according to Mangseth. Magseth also said that this was the first officer-involved shooting in 30 years.
