Roughly 1,000 miles north of where tragedy struck Tuesday, another encounter between a black man and a police officer led to more violence and more mourning one day later, this time in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Philando Castile, 32, was shot multiple times during a traffic stop Wednesday ― fired at while reportedly reaching for his license and registration. He died from the wounds at a nearby hospital soon after.
Castile’s girlfriend Diamond Reynolds was next to him in the front seat, and recorded the moments after the firing through Facebook Live. Her young daughter was in the backseat.
Per Reynolds, they were pulled over for a “busted tail light.” And although she said he was licensed to carry a gun, he wasn’t holding one at the time the officer pulled the trigger ― rendering the shooting entirely avoidable and excessive.
The disproportionate, unwarranted violence that was on full display in Minnesota is something that we’ve seen all too frequently in similar confrontations as of late. Accordingly, a series of athletes, including the NBA’s up-and-coming Jabari Parker, have spoken out in the hours since the video went viral, devastated that in the year 2016 they must still must fear for their lives whenever they step onto the street or into their cars, simply because of the color of their skin.
Rest in peace, Philando Castile.
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