ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a July 6 traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb after he told the officer he…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a July 6 traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb after he told the officer he was armed. St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino, was acquitted of manslaughter on Friday. A timeline of some key events that unfolded after the shooting:
July 6: Castile is fatally shot after Yanez stops his car in Falcon Heights. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, is a passenger in the car, along with her then-4-year-old daughter. Reynolds livestreams the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook. The widely shared video draws protesters to the scene.
July 7: Protesters converge overnight at Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s official residence in the state capital of St. Paul. Dayton says he doesn’t think the shooting would have happened if Castile had been white. More than 1,000 people gather that evening at the school where Castile worked, then hundreds walk back to the governor’s residence.
July 8: Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says he’ll decide later whether he or a grand jury will decide on any charges against Yanez.
July 9: Attorney Thomas Kelly says Yanez was reacting to the presence of the gun when he opened fire on Castile. He says the shooting had nothing to do with race. Police use chemical irritants to clear rock-and-bottle-throwing demonstrators from Interstate 94 in St. Paul. Officers arrest more than 100 people. Police say 21 officers were hurt, none seriously.
July 10: The governor condemns the shutdown of I-94 as « unlawful and extremely dangerous. »
July 11: Forty-six people are charged with rioting for the I-94 protest. Kelly says Yanez thought Castile looked like « a possible match » for a suspect in a recent armed robbery.
July 12: Castile’s relatives say they will file a lawsuit in his death.
July 13: Police arrest 42 protesters who block traffic on Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis during the morning rush.
July 14: A funeral for Castile at the St. Paul Cathedral draws thousands of mourners.
July 26-27: Police arrest 69 protesters outside the governor’s residence as officers clear out the blocked street in front of the mansion.
July 29: Choi adds former U. S. Department of Justice attorney and former Hamline University Law School dean Don Lewis, who is black, to his team as a special prosecutor in a bid to enhance trust in the results of the investigation.
Aug. 24: The St. Anthony Police Department says it put Yanez back on administrative leave after he had briefly returned to limited duty, citing « concerns and other feedback from the community. »
Sept. 28: The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says it has completed its investigation and turned over its findings to Choi.
Nov. 16: Prosecutors announce that Yanez has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in Castile’s shooting. The announcement comes one day after the anniversary of the high-profile killing by police of another black man in Minnesota, Jamar Clark in Minneapolis. No charges were filed in that case.
Dec. 15: The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services announces that it will review the St. Anthony Police Department, at the department’s request. The review, still ongoing, includes an assessment of traffic stops and arrest demographics.
Dec. 23: Defense attorneys remove the first judge assigned to oversee Yanez’s case, Judge Edward Wilson. In Minnesota, defense attorneys and prosecutors can each strike one assigned judge from a case without giving a reason. The requests are automatically granted. Wilson is black. The defense did not say whether race was a reason.
Jan. 4: Ramsey County District Court Judge William Leary III, who is white, is assigned to preside over Yanez’s manslaughter trial.
Jan. 9: Leary denies a request from the American Civil Liberties Union to release squad car video of Castile’s shooting.
Jan. 11: A judge throws out riot charges against dozens of people who blocked I-94 to protest the shooting.
Jan. 23: A bill is introduced in the Republican-controlled Minnesota House that would charge protesters for law enforcement costs associated with disruptive demonstrations. It played a prominent role in last-minute budget negotiations but did not pass.
Feb. 8: Attorneys for Yanez say in court documents that Castile’s gun was accessible and that he was reaching for it when he was killed.
Feb. 11: Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, unveils a temporary memorial at the site of her son’s shooting. She says a permanent memorial is being planned.
Feb. 15: Leary declines to dismiss the case against Yanez.
Feb. 27: Yanez enters a not guilty plea.
March 3: Castile’s girlfriend is charged with felony assault for allegedly hitting a woman in the head with a hammer.
April 6: Leary denies a defense request to move Yanez’s trial because of pretrial publicity. Defense attorneys appealed, but Leary’s decision was upheld.
May 30: Jury selection begins in Yanez’s trial.
June 16: Yanez acquitted of manslaughter and lesser charges.
