ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Minnesota prosecutor said Friday that he has asked for a "prompt and thorough investigation" after the police killing of a black motorist whose girlfriend streamed the shooting's aftermath live on Facebook.
RELATED ARTICLES
http://www.arkansas…">Dallas sniper's objective: Kill policehttp://www.arkansas…">Bomb kill by robot a shift in police usehttp://www.arkansas…">Shots, threats at police in other states reported http://www.arkansas…">Arkansans in Congress, leaders in state weigh in on Dallas shootings http://www.arkansas…">LR officers monitor protests after deadly Dallas evening http://www.arkansas…">Dallas deaths remembered in Fayetteville vigil
Ramsey County Prosecutor John Choi said the video is part of the investigation into Wednesday's shooting of Philando Castile in suburban St. Paul. The school cafeteria supervisor was shot "for no apparent reason" while reaching for his wallet during a traffic stop, after telling the officer he had a gun and a permit to carry it, his girlfriend said in the video.
Choi declined to provide details about the traffic stop. Police also have refused to say what led up to the shooting, why Castile was pulled over or why the officer drew his gun.
But the prosecutor said the shooting highlighted the need for better interactions between police and black residents.
"We must do better in our state and in our nation to improve police-community interactions to ensure the safety of everyone in this country, but particularly the safety of African-Americans, who disproportionately lose their lives as a result," Choi said during a news conference Friday.
State investigators said the two officers involved were Jeronimo Yanez and Joseph Kauser, both four-year veterans of the St. Anthony Police Department.
Yanez approached Castile's car from the driver's side, and Kauser from the passenger side, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The agency said Yanez opened fire, striking Castile multiple times.
The agency said several videos, including squad car video, have been collected; St. Anthony police officers don't wear body cameras.
Diamond Reynolds, Castile's girlfriend, described the officer who shot Castile as Asian.
In the video streamed on Facebook, Reynolds describes being pulled over for a "busted tail light." Reynolds told reporters Thursday that the 32-year-old Castile, of St. Paul, did "nothing but what the police officer asked of us, which was to put your hands in the air and get your license and registration."
Reynolds said on the video that her boyfriend had a conceal-carry license that allowed him to legally carry a firearm and was reaching for his identification in his back pocket when the officer started to shoot.
Minnesota law prohibits any person other than law enforcement officers on official duty to carry a pistol or any other firearm in public unless they possess a valid carry permit.
Those with such permits are not required to tell an officer they have a weapon if they are licensed to carry one, but a person with a carry permit must display the permit card and a valid government-issued photo ID immediately upon request by an officer.
Gun owners are allowed to transport a pistol in a motor vehicle if the pistol is unloaded and stored in a closed and fastened case, gun box or securely tied package.
Arkansas law allows a person to carry a handgun as long as the person possesses a license to carry a concealed handgun and does not have the intent to "attempt to unlawfully employ a handgun ... as a weapon against [another]."
A person may possess a handgun "on or about his or her person, in a vehicle occupied by him or her, or otherwise readily available for use" without violating state carry laws.
Under state carry laws, those who are pulled over in Arkansas are not obligated to tell law enforcement officers if they are carrying a weapon, unless they are a convicted felon.
Castile's death came a day after Alton Sterling, 37, who also was black, was killed in Baton Rouge after he scuffled with two white police officers outside a convenience store. Parts of that shooting were also caught on video.
The U.S. Justice Department, which quickly launched a civil rights investigation into the Baton Rouge shooting, said it would monitor Minnesota's investigation.
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling, said in an interview Friday that the federal investigation is a "very positive step."
"They should be prosecuted, the both of them," McMillon said of the two officers. "I don't want the death penalty for them. I want them to be in prison,"
McMillon also said she grieved with the families of five police officers killed in Dallas during a protest over the police shootings, adding she was now "walking a mile with them."
Information for this article was contributed by Steve Karnowski, Gretchen Ehlke, Carla K. Johnson, Sarah Rankin, Robin McDowell, Sadie Gurman, Nomaan Merchant, Rhonda Shafner, Melinda Deslatte, Michael Kunzelman and staff members of The Associated Press and by Mary Tyler March of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 07/09/2016