Minnesota shooting death of Philando Castile: Officers Jeronimo Yanez, Joseph Kauser identified
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) released a statement identifying the St. Anthony Police patrolman who shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Jeronimo Yanez and Officer Joseph Kauser, were involved in the Wednesday shooting.
The BCA is conducting an independent investigation into the incident, the aftermath of which was livestreamed on Facebook by his fiancée, Diamond Reynolds.
Philando Castile
Castile was pulled over for a faulty tail light. Reynolds and his 4-year-old daughter were inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.
After approaching the driver’s side of Castile’s car, and requesting his license and registration, Castile told the officer that he was carrying a firearm, one which Reynolds said she informed Yanez he was licensed to carry, according to CNN reports.
As Castile reached in his back pocket for his license, Yanez allegedly shot Castile a number of times at point-blank range. He was announced dead later that evening.
After Castile was shot, Reynolds started filming the incident on Facebook Live using her cell phone. While Castile is slumped in his seat in a blood-soaked t-shirt, Yanez’s gun still pointed at him through the rolled-down window, she calmly explained what had happened, and told the officer, “you shot four bullets into him, sir.”
While filming, Reynolds was told by Yanez, who sounded agitated, to keep her hands in the air. She replied, “I will, sir, no worries. I will,” and Yanez could then be heard yelling, “I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hand off it.”
According to the agency, Yanez “approached the vehicle from the driver’s side and Officer Kauser from the passenger side.
“At one point during the interaction, Officer Yanez discharged his weapon, striking Castile multiple times,” the agency said. “No one else was injured. A gun was recovered at the scene.”
Although Yanez’s face couldn’t be seen on the video, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) released his and Kauser’s name to the public Friday.
