Woman Livestreams Aftermath of Her Boyfriend’s Fatal Police Shooting
[Note: Due to it’s graphic, traumatic nature, we will not be sharing the video of Philando Castile’s death or any similar in nature.]
The image of Philando Castile’s body slowly swaying from side to side with a seat-belt seemingly the only thing keeping him in his seat is an image many will never forget. Unlike Alton Sterling, whose actual shooting was captured on film, the footage of Castile’s interaction with St. Anthony, Minnesota police started after he was shot.
CBS reports that Castile, 32, and his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, were pulled over for a broken taillight. When the officer approached, Castile reportedly let him know that he had a weapon and a license for concealed carry. Reynolds claims that the officer then told Castile to reach for his license but shot him four times in the chest when he attempted to do so.
This is when Reynolds began to stream the aftermath on Facebook Live, with the footage showing Castile fading in and out of consciousness with his shirt drenched in blood from the bullet wounds. However, the officer is still pointing his weapon at a clearly injured Castile.
Reynolds was eventually taken out of the vehicle and detained while officers also took her daughter, who was in the backseat during the entire incident and even stepped up to console her mother by saying, “‘It’s okay. I’m right here with you.”
According to his mother, Valerie Castile, Philando was a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul. He later died of his injuries at a local hospital.
The next few days are sure to be full of different takes on the tragedy with new evidence coming to light that’s likely going to sway the public to one side or the other, with very little room in-between. What is certain is that this week has been filled with tragedies like these, a fact that we cannot ignore as happenstance.
Photo Credit: Twitter