A 32-year-old man named Philando Castile was shot and killed by police in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Wednesday night. The aftermath of the shooting was captured on Facebook Live by Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. You can watch the graphic video here.
The police shooting of Castile, who is black, comes less than 24 hours after footage emerged of Alton Sterling being shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge, La. According to reports, Castile was the cafeteria supervisor at a local Montessori school.
In the video, Reynolds is seen sitting next to Castile, who is soaked in blood. Her daughter is in the car as well. Reynolds claims that they were pulled over for a broken tail light, and she says Castile announced that he had a license to carry.
"He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet," Reynolds says in the Facebook Live video. "And the officer just shot him in his arm."
According to witnesses, the shots took place mere moments after the car was pulled over.
In the video, an officer holding a gun pointed at Castile can be heard yelling, "I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand off it!"
"You told him to get his ID, sir," Reynolds says in response. "He was just getting his license and registration." According to Reynolds, the officer who shot Castile was "Chinese."
The video ends with Reynolds and her daughter handcuffed in a police car. Castile was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, according to Fox 9, where he passed away.
On 07-06-2016 at approximately 2100 hours, a St. Anthony Police Officer effected a traffic stop on Larpenteur and Fry in the City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota. During the stop, shots were fired. One adult male was taken to the hospital. We have been informed that this individual is deceased.
Hennepin County Medical Center spokesperson Christine Hill told Complex that there was "no information available" about Castile's condition.
The St. Anthony Police Department provided Complex with a statement early Thursday morning. It reads:
A crowd quickly amassed at the scene of the shooting. A video stream of the gathering can be seen here.
As of just approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday, the crowd from the scene of the shooting was reportedly headed to the governor's mansion.
There were reports that Reynolds was in police custody after the shooting.
Pastors lead prayer for family, friends of Philando Castile, shot & killed by police. #WCCO #CBS pic.twitter.com/JRjWJzOTWv
However, when Complex spoke with someone from the police department at 2:45 a.m. on Thursday, the operator who answered said Reynolds was no longer at the station.
At 2 a.m. local time, police held a short press conference, where they announced that the officer involved in the shooting was put on "standard paid administrative leave."
Crowd of 200 protesters chanting outside Governor 's Residence on Summit and sounding car horns @WCCO pic.twitter.com/vcp2gKvLyK
A pastor led prayers with friends and family of Castile outside the Hennepin County Medical Center where he was treated after his death was announced.
The crowd outside of the governor's mansion is just getting bigger #PhilandoCastile #FalconHeights pic.twitter.com/QpAUIsEuXR
Hundreds of people arrived at the governor's mansion early this morning to protest, chanting Castile's name.
whole crowd chants his name outside of the governor's mansion #PhilandoCastile pic.twitter.com/LFq9qj1ZKJ
#PhilandoCastile's uncle: I saw my nephew shot, clinging to his life, with no help. https://t.co/yUn7KxO7EM
Family of #PhilandoCastile has set up fundraising site to help cover funeral expenses. https://t.co/haihl07Kov
Castile's uncle and mother spoke to CNN on why he was killed: "He was black and in the wrong place." His mother said she still has not seen her son's body and was unable to identify him because she was not allowed.
A GoFundMe page claiming to be set up by the family to cover funeral expenses circulated social media but was later shown to be a false fundraiser:
The Governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, released a statement on Thursday morning where he extended his "deepest condolences" to Castile's loved ones:
Late Thursday evening, a medical examiner ruled Castile's death a homicide, the New York Times reports. The officer who shot him has been identified as Jeronimo Yanez, who had been a St. Anthony police officer for 4 years.
