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- Officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot Philando Castile in front of his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter during a traffic stop in Minnesota in July 2016. Yanez said he believed Castile was reaching for a gun, which Castile’s family and girlfriend disputed.
- Yanez was later charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter and endangering safety in November 2016, as well as two felony counts for recklessly discharging the gun.
- However, after five days of deliberations, a jury found Yanez not guilty of all charges on Friday.
- After the verdict, several thousand protesters gathered around the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul to voice their anger about the decision.
- Some demonstrators moved to Interstate 94, a highway near Minneapolis and St. Paul, and marched while facing police in riot gear. Eighteen marchers were arrested after failing to disperse.
- Essential question: How does the court's decision add to the ongoing debate about police conduct and race relations in the United States?
- Over the past several years, multiple young African-American men have been fatally shot by police officers. Can you recall some of the other cases? How are they similar or different to the Philando Castile case?
- Philando Castile’s sister said that “(t)he system really is wrong, and they really failed us.” What is the system and how, in his sister’s opinion, did it fail Philando Castile and his family?
