Authorities have released police dashcam video of a Minnesota cop firing several shots at motorist Philando Castile during a 2016 traffic stop — just days after the officer was acquitted by a jury.
The squad car video, as well as other evidence from the investigation, has come out four days after Officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting the school cafeteria worker in his car as his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter were sitting with him.
While the aftermath of the shooting was infamously live streamed on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, the police dashcam video adds another vantage point to what happened the day Castile died.
The video was played for jurors at trial but was not released publicly until Tuesday.
The graphic footage begins with Yanez following Castile’s white Oldsmobile for several miles before pulling him over for a broken tail light, as well as to check if he matched the description of a suspect in an armed robbery that occurred days prior.
The officer tells Castile his tail light is out and that he will need to see license and proof of insurance. Yanez’s partner is seen waiting slightly further away from the car on the curb.
After Castile gives him the paperwork, he’s heard saying “sir, I have to tell you that I do have a firearm on me."
"OK, don’t reach for it then," Yanez answers back.
"I'm not," Castile replies.
Yanez’s voice then begins to sound more agitated, as he starts to say "don’t pull it out" repeatedly.
Reynolds is then heard yelling "he’s not pulling it out!"
Yanez then immediately grabs his gun, aims inside the car and rapidly fires seven bullets into the driver's side while Reynolds is screaming in the background.
After firing the continuous shots, Yanez continues to yell "Don't pull it out!" and "Don’t move!" while his gun is still raised up in the air ready to shoot.
The video then shows Reynolds' young daughter exiting the back passenger door by herself, while Yanez’s partner picks her up and ushers her away. Several moments pass and Reynolds is heard narrating what just happened over Facebook Live.
More officers arrive shortly after and pull Castile out of the car and onto the pavement. They then attempt to resuscitate him to no avail.
While Yanez walked free from criminal charges, he will not be returning to “active duty," the city of St. Anthony in a statement following the verdict.
"The public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city," the statement said. The city added that it was negotiating a voluntary separation agreement that would help Yanez transition into another career.
Castile's family has vowed to take the case to civil court.
"The system continues to fail black people," said Castile's mother, Valerie, following the verdict. "My son loved this city and this city killed my son and let the murderer get away."
