Philando Castile

Born:    July 16, 1983
Birthplace:    St. Louis, MO
Died:  July 6, 2016
Zodiac Sign:  Cancer

On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old African American man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by police officer Jeronimo Yanez of the St. Anthony police department in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

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Castile was driving with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter when at 9:00 p.m., he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer in Falcon Heights, a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota. 

After being asked for his license and registration, Castile told Officer Yanez that he had a firearm (Castile was licensed to carry), to which Yanez replied, "Don't reach for it then." Castile responded, "I'm, I, I was reaching for..." Yanez replied, "Don't pull it out." Castile replied, "I'm not pulling it out," Reynolds said, "He's not...". Yanez again repeated, "Don't pull it out." Yanez then fired seven close-range shots at Castile, hitting him five times. Castile died of his wounds at 9:37 p.m. at Hennepin County Medical Center, about 20 minutes after being shot.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Reynolds posted a live stream video on Facebook from her and Castile's car. The incident quickly gained international interest. 

Local and national protests formed, and five months after the incident, Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous firearm discharge. After five days of deliberation, he was acquitted of all charges in a jury trial on June 16, 2017. After the verdict, Yanez was immediately fired by the City of Saint Anthony. Wrongful death lawsuits against the City brought by Reynolds and Castile's family were settled for $3.8 million. Source.