Officer Who Killed Philando Castile Once Took Him To Jail
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Philando Castile and Officer Jeronimo Yanez had crossed paths once before their fatal encounter earlier this month in Falcon Heights.
Documents released Thursday reveal Yanez was one of two officers who transported Castile to jail in 2011. He was arrested and cited for driving with a revoked license after being pulled over for a defective brake light.
Yanez, an officer with St. Anthony police, had responded to a nearby robbery just days before the shooting. His attorney has said he stopped Castile because he thought he looked like a robbery suspect.
A police report also released Thursday shows Yanez and another officer went to a Super USA in Lauderdale four nights before the shooting. Two men, seen in surveillance photos, stole about $700 in cash and cigarettes.
No law enforcement agency has suggested Castile had anything to do with the store robbery.
Yanez pulled over Castile about a mile and a half away in Falcon Heights the following week on July 6. Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streamed the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook.
In the video, Reynolds and Yanez disagree over whether Castile reached for his driver's license or the gun he was permitted to carry. Reynolds also says they were pulled over by Yanez because of a broken tail light.
The officer's attorney later said Yanez opened fire because of that gun and not Castile's race.
The Ramsey County attorney or a grand jury will ultimately decide whether the shooting was justified.
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