Cop Who Shot Philando Castile Charged with Manslaughter

St Paul, MN (AP) - A Minnesota police officer has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of a black man in a St. Paul suburb.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced Wednesday that he is filing second-degree manslaughter charges against St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez.

Yanez fatally shot 32-year-old Philando Castile during a July 6 traffic stop in Falcon Heights. The shooting's gruesome aftermath was streamed live on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, who was with him. She said Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling Yanez he had a gun permit and was armed.

Choi says Castile had informed Yanez when the officer approached the car that he had a handgun. But Choi says evidence shows that Castile never removed or tried to remove the gun from his right pocket.

Choi says unreasonable fear on the part of a police officer cannot justify the use of deadly force.

Yanez is Latino. Castile was black.

Family members claim Castile was racially profiled. Yanez's attorney has said the officer made the stop because Castile looked like a possible match for an armed robbery suspect, and Yanez reacted to the presence of a gun.