Protest Over Yanez Verdict To Be Held At St. Anthony Police Department
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Another protest over the Jeronimo Yanez verdict is planned for Sunday afternoon outside the St. Anthony Police Department.
Yanez, a former officer with St. Anthony police, was acquitted Friday in the shooting death last summer of Philando Castile. The jury found the 29-year-old not guilty in all three counts related to July 6 shooting in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights.
The Sunday protest, labeled "Father's Day for Philando" and organized by the group New North, is scheduled to start at noon outside the St. Anthony Police Department and last until 3 p.m. Hundreds have said they planned to attend.
According to the event page, concerned citizens are encouraged to join the protest to voice frustrations, listen to speakers and heal together. Children are welcome, as the demonstration is intended to be peaceful.
The planned protest would mark the beginning of a third day of peaceful demonstrations since Yanez was acquitted. On Friday night, protesters shutdown Interstate-94 in St. Paul, and 18 were arrested for unlawful assembly.
On Saturday, a protest was held in downtown Minneapolis, with demonstrators marching along Hennepin Avenue and blocking traffic in busy intersections. No arrests were made.
Yanez shot Castile five times during a traffic stop just seconds after the 32-year-old cafeteria worker told the officer he had a gun, which he was licensed to carry. During the trial, Yanez testified that he feared for his life after he saw Castile's gun and he failed to obey orders.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued that Yanez should never have shot Castile, even if he saw Castile's gun.
The shooting gained national attention after Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streamed the bloody aftermath on Facebook, prompting protests in the Twin Cities and beyond. Castile was one of several black men fatally shot by police in recent years.
Immediately after Friday's verdict, Yanez was fired from the St. Anthony Police Department.