Attorneys want charges against officer dismissed

Published 10:27 am Thursday, December 15, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS — Attorneys for a Minnesota police officer who killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop in July are asking that charges against him be dismissed, saying Castile was negligent in his own death and claiming he was high on marijuana while driving and did not obey the officer’s commands.

In court documents dated Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press, attorneys for St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez say that if Castile was negligent, then Yanez should be exonerated.

Castile, who was black, was killed July 6 after being pulled over in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. The shooting’s gruesome aftermath was streamed live on Facebook by his girlfriend, who was in the car at the time along with her young daughter. Prosecutors said the 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker was shot at seven times after he told Yanez he was armed and had a license to carry.

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