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[GK86]

Full article at the link.

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.

Yanez, who is Latino, has been charged with manslaughter and other offenses. Prosecutors said last month that he acted unreasonably and was not justified in using deadly force.

But in the defense documents, attorney Earl Gray wrote that Castile never told Yanez he had a permit to carry. Gray wrote that an objective review of squad car video confirms Yanez’s account of self-defense, “but more importantly why Mr. Castile himself was culpably negligent and was the substantial cause of his own demise.”

“He should not even have been driving while under the influence. He should have showed his hands. He should not have reached for the handgun,” Gray wrote.

Glenda Hatchett, the Castile family’s attorney, said the charges speak for themselves and she had no further comment on the defense claims.

In the court documents, Gray wrote that autopsy results showed Castile had high levels of THC in his blood, and a defense expert determined he was intoxicated. Gray said that explains why Castile didn’t follow directions, stared straight ahead and didn’t show his hands.

Gray said that behavior contradicts training Castile received when he got his permit to carry. He added that Castile kept his right hand in or near the pocket where the gun was found.

Gray wrote, “how could it be that Officer Yanez knew or could have known that when Mr. Castile reached for his gun he would not shoot a police officer dead.”

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[Earthstrike]

If the video is that clear, release it to the public.

 

[whytemyke]

Well that's a relief. I was worried they wouldn't find a reason to quietly tell the black community again to go f*ck itself while exonerating the person who shot an innocent guy dead.

 

[fudgey_lumpkins]

Unless I'm mis-remembering or the video I seen was flipped something, wasn't this guy in the passenger seat when he was shot?

 

[Slayven]

The old "Darky was high on jazz cigarettes and might have commited superhuman acts if i didn't put him down" defense

 

[Bam Chowder]

Wow, this is some Reefer Madness level shit.

 

[tuffy]

If Yanez's attorney is going to claim that Mr. Castile was reaching for his handgun, he's going to have to explain why Castile chose to do so this time and not the other ~50 times he'd been stopped for similarly minor traffic offenses in the past few years.

 

[Stinkles]

I feel confident the new administration will seek federal training standards and serious legal accountability for ALL law enforcement.

The thin blue line is definitely gonna get shook. Big league.

 

[Kas]

Sure, except his girlfriend was driving and there was a child in the car.

And the cop still shot into it, and killed him.

 

[Raxus]

The old "Darky was high on jazz cigarettes and might have commited superhuman acts if i didn't put him down" defense

MJ makes you paranoid you know! Like someone is out to kill you.

Spoiler

Oh wait...

 

[HStallion]

I'm still not equating how being high on pot, even totally baked out of your head means you deserve to get shot.

 

[TS-08]

I'm still not equating how being high on pot, even totally baked out of your head means you deserve to get shot.

The argument seems to be that being under the influence of drugs caused him to not obey commands and to keep his hand in or next to his pocket, where they claim to have found a gun.

 

[SummitAve]

The argument seems to be that being under the influence of drugs caused him to not obey commands and to keep his hand in or next to his pocket, where they claim to have found a gun.

In addition I think their defense is also getting at that he was not legally carrying his weapon either since he had it while under the influence of drugs which is a big no no for concealed carrying.

I'm not sure if it will be an effective defense. It's extremely weak from my perspective, but I don't think MJ in his blood really means anything. There are a lot of people who think otherwise though so I hope the jury has some common sense.

 

[GK86]

In addition I think their defense is also getting at that he was not legally carrying his weapon either since he had it while under the influence of drugs which is a big no no for concealed carrying.

I'm not sure if it will be an effective defense. It's extremely weak from my perspective, but I don't think MJ in his blood really means anything. There are a lot of people who think otherwise though so I hope the jury has some common sense.

When it comes to a Black person, people are waiting for the news that s/he was no angel. Drugs (either selling or using) or criminal record of any sort is automatic "they deserved to be shot/killed/arrested."

 

[DietRob]

Sure everyone knows that blacks gain super powers in their reefer madness.

*rolls eyes*

Fucking pathetic that their 'defense' strategy is taking a page out of 1930's anti-black propaganda.