07-10-2016, 12:59 PM
Philando Castile had no convictions for anything other than misdemeanor traffic offenses. There has been no evidence presented that Philando Castile was anything other than a mellow respected guy who worked for 12 years at a school, probably smoked weed sometimes, had a girlfriend, and was a member of a tight-knit family.
Based on the latest information available and the confirmed facts, it's my opinion that the officers probably approached the car from both the driver and passenger windows with the mindset that an armed robber was behind the wheel. That's not a problem in itself; just doing their jobs.
According to Diamond's commentary, Philando and Diamond were told and believed that it was just another traffic stop. If so, they would have no way of knowing that the officers considered them possible violent criminals unless the officers told them so (at this point, there is nothing to indicate the officers told them so).
What happened next, I don't know. According to Diamond, nervous officer Yanez gave conflicting instructions and shot Philando four times when Philando stopped reaching for his wallet and went to put his hands up. If true, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened. However, according to Yanez's attorney, Philando didn't follow the officer's instructions and the presence of a gun caused Yanez to justifiably use deadly force.
Personally, based on what's known now, I find it very difficult to believe that Philando Castile -- a man who was accustomed to traffic stops, had his fiancee and her daughter in the car, had a second armed officer watching from the passenger side, had no criminal record aside from traffic offenses, and had a permit to carry -- posed a threat to officer Yanez.
But, whether or not Yanez ends up facing any charges or disciplinary action will depend on whether investigators (and possibly a grand jury) believe that Yanez was in reasonable fear for his life when he shot Philando Castile four times. That's how it works legally; even if it's proven, or strongly suspected, that what was in Yanez's head didn't match the reality of the situation and Philando was simply attempting to comply.
Based on the latest information available and the confirmed facts, it's my opinion that the officers probably approached the car from both the driver and passenger windows with the mindset that an armed robber was behind the wheel. That's not a problem in itself; just doing their jobs.
According to Diamond's commentary, Philando and Diamond were told and believed that it was just another traffic stop. If so, they would have no way of knowing that the officers considered them possible violent criminals unless the officers told them so (at this point, there is nothing to indicate the officers told them so).
What happened next, I don't know. According to Diamond, nervous officer Yanez gave conflicting instructions and shot Philando four times when Philando stopped reaching for his wallet and went to put his hands up. If true, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened. However, according to Yanez's attorney, Philando didn't follow the officer's instructions and the presence of a gun caused Yanez to justifiably use deadly force.
Personally, based on what's known now, I find it very difficult to believe that Philando Castile -- a man who was accustomed to traffic stops, had his fiancee and her daughter in the car, had a second armed officer watching from the passenger side, had no criminal record aside from traffic offenses, and had a permit to carry -- posed a threat to officer Yanez.
But, whether or not Yanez ends up facing any charges or disciplinary action will depend on whether investigators (and possibly a grand jury) believe that Yanez was in reasonable fear for his life when he shot Philando Castile four times. That's how it works legally; even if it's proven, or strongly suspected, that what was in Yanez's head didn't match the reality of the situation and Philando was simply attempting to comply.