Philando Castile’s fiancée: Dallas shooting is ‘bigger than us’

The race of the officer who shot him isn’t known, but Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, described him as Asian.

The officer-involved shooting happened Wednesday night in the area of Larpenteur Avenue West and Fry Street and the aftermath was broadcast on Facebook by a woman identifying herself as the victim’s girlfriend.

His comments came a day after Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton jumped into a suddenly reignited national debate over how law enforcement treats people of color, saying police likely wouldn’t have fired if Castile had been white. Dayton said in interviews.

“Would this have happened if those passengers, the driver and the passengers, were white?” I don’t think it would have”.

This all comes during a discussion in the United States about the killing of black men and women by police officers after the deaths of Travyon Martin in Florida, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Alton Sterling’s death was caught on video. “For a black male with dreadlocks, that ambiguous action would produce fear in many people”.

Reynolds initially described the officer as a “heavyset” Chinese man, according to a transcript of the Facebook live video.

Authorities also said a gun was recovered at the scene, but that they could not legally disclose whether Castile had a concealed-carry permit.

As the investigation into Castile’s death proceeds, those following the case are left to sort through conflicting accounts and questions about how Yanez and fellow officer Joseph Kauser handled the traffic stop. Both had been with the St. Anthony Police Department for four years and were put on administrative leave, as is standard.

Officials confirmed that Officer Yanez eventually opened fire. No one else was injured.

The BCA investigation into this incident is ongoing. The races of the officers who were shot have not been released. She said Castile was a “quiet person” who was well regarded by co-workers and beloved by students in the St. Paul school cafeteria where he worked. Neighbors declined to talk about Yanez or the case.

St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Philando Castile on Wednesday during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Falcon Heights. Some Minnesota demonstrators stood together to watch the news footage, and roughly a dozen St. Paul police officers, including a canine unit, circled up in the parking lot of a nearby church, an apparent increase in force from earlier in the evening.

The U.S. Justice Department, which immediately launched a civil rights investigation into the Baton Rouge shooting, said it would monitor Minnesota’s investigation.

The family said they still have not seen Castile’s body, but expect to be able to later Friday. Castile died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Philando Castile, a black 32-year-old public school employee, was pronounced dead minutes after arriving at the hospital. She said Castile was having difficulty getting to his wallet and that his gun was in a holster in his trousers. “I wanted everybody in the world to see what the police do”. Though she recalled cautioning him to always comply with police, she said she never thought she would lose him.

“This has to cease. Please, Jesus, don’t tell me that he’s gone”, she said.

St. Paul police made one arrest after bottles and rocks were thrown by a rogue group of protesters who broke away from a peaceful demonstration outside the governor’s residence in the aftermath of a fatal police shooting.

A crowd that once numbered about 1,500 has dwindled to a couple of dozen protesters by midday Saturday.