With stone-faced African-American leaders standing behind him, Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday that watching the newly released video of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez killing motorist Philando Castile was horrifying, painful and shocking.
Dayton, a Democrat, said it was one of the “horrific reminders that everyone … is not treated equally in the state of Minnesota.”
The governor made his comments after meeting with the leaders for more than an hour. The meeting was filled with “raw emotion” as the community grappled with the visions of Yanez shooting Castile just seconds after pulling him over during a traffic stop last July in Falcon Heights.
“What I saw in the video was a man who got shot within 60 seconds of the time that he encountered the police,” said Steven Belton, president of the Minneapolis Urban League, who participated in the meeting. “(Castile’s) humanity was not respected. What I witnessed was a 21st century execution.”
The video and a transcript of an official interview with Yanez was released to the public Tuesday. It brought a fresh wave of shock in Minnesota and across the nation. It came just a few days after Yanez was acquitted in a criminal trial in the wake of last year’s shooting.
In the graphic video, which was withheld along with other evidence from the shooting during the trial, Castile tells Yanez, “Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me.”
Yanez says, “OK. Don’t reach for it then,” but then the stress in his voice grows as he orders, “Don’t pull it out!” before suddenly firing seven shots into the car.
Yanez later said that he feared Castile was reaching for his gun, which he was licensed to carry. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was in the passenger seat with her 4-year-old daughter in the back, is heard crying “You just killed my boyfriend!” She said Castile was not reaching for his gun but instead was reaching to unbuckle his seat belt to get his wallet and driver’s license for the officer, as he had requested.
“We are hurting and we are angry,” Belton said after meeting with Dayton. “But I also want to say that we are not powerless. We will move, and we will take this tragedy into transformation.”
Belton was the only member of the community who chose to speak with the media after the meeting.
The rest of the attendees — Chanda Smith Baker, president of Pillsbury United Communities; Jeffrey Hassan, executive director of the African American Leadership Forum; Sondra Samuels, president of the Northside Achievement Zone; VJ Smith, president of Minneapolis MAD DADS; Justin Terrell, Justice 4 All program manager; Mike Essien, president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers; and Maria Mitchell, an assistant Ramsey County attorney — stood behind the speakers without sharing their thoughts.
Dayton and others said the Wednesday meeting was only the first of a series of gatherings. In future meetings, the group will focus on changes to make Minnesota a safer place for all. He will meet again with African-American leaders on Thursday, according to his public schedule.
Note: Maria Mitchell attended the meeting on behalf of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers and was not representing the county attorney’s office.
