Philando Castile is the latest name to be added to the unimaginably lengthy list of Black men who have had their lives cut short at the hands of trigger-happy police officers. The Minnesota native was much more than just a name on a scroll, and much more than a trending hashtag.
Here’s everything we know about the life and death of the latest victim to the inhumane police brutality epidemic running rampant in the Black community.
1. Philando Castile was 32 years old. He would’ve turned 33 on July 16, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
2. He worked as a kitchen supervisor for the St. Paul Minnesota school district.
3. Philando and his fianceé Diamond Reynolds were on their way home from the grocery store when they were allegedly pulled over for allegedly having a broken taillight.
4. Diamond maintains that the taillight was not broken, despite the officer’s claims.
5. After being asked for his license & registration, Philando let the approaching officer know ahead of time that he was in possession of a gun, for which he also told the officer he had a permit and was licensed to carry.
6. Upon learning that Philando had a gun, the officer instead instructed him to put his hands in the air. As he went to do so, Diamond says the officer fired 3-4 shots that struck him as he sat in the driver’s seat.
7. Diamond’s 4-year-old daughter was in the backseat of the car during much of the incident.
8. Philando was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center shortly after the shooting.
9. Diamond recorded the immediate aftermath of the shooting and shared a live video of the events. Over the 10 or so minutes, Philando lay bleeding profusely in the driver’s seat while the officer stood outside of his door with his gun still drawn and pointed at Philando.
10. Philando’s uncle Clarence Castille described the video footage as the “most horrific thing” he’s ever seen in his life.
11. Philando’s mother Valerie Castile described him as a “laid back,” “quiet,” and not a “gangbanger” or a “thug.”
12. His mother says she was not allowed to see his body when she arrived at the hospital.
13. Diamond said she was jailed and treated like “a prisoner” immediately following the shooting.
14. She also says she wasn’t told that Philando had passed until 3 a.m. the next morning.
15. When asked why she choose to livestream the confrontation, Diamond said she wanted “everyone in the world to see what the police do.”
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