Castile’s biggest problem was “carrying while stoned”.
Had he stopped moving when the officer told him to stop reaching he’d be alive today.
Does that mean the officer was without fault? No, but you can’t rely on the officer not freaking out if you continue to move after the officer shouts “don’t!...”
That isn't what the officer told him.
cop
your brake light is going to be out. you have your license and insurance?
driver
(apparently recognizes the question as a command to hand over license and insurance. gets a piece of paper from somewhere, apparently a glove compartment, with the help of his spouse, and hands it to the officer)
driver
officer, i do have to tell you that i have a —
officer
ok
— firearm on me —
officer
ok
driver
— i’m go— i’m —
officer
don’t reach for it then
driver
— i’m, i’m gonna have to —
officer
don’t pull it out.
driver
— i have to —
driver’s girlfriend
— he has to —
officer
don’t pull it out!
officer begins to discharge his weapon into driver’s body, firing approximately 2 shots
driver’s girlfriend
no! no!
officer continues to discharge his weapon into driver’s body, firing about 5 more shots
driver
oww, oww, oww, oww
driver’s girlfriend
why you just had to kill my boyfriend
driver
i wasn’t reach—
driver’s girfriend
he wasn’t reach—
officer
don’t pull it out! (still holding gun, pointed at driver)
driver’s girlfriend
he wasn’t—
officer
don’t move! fuck!
driver’s girlfriend
oh, man...
officer
fuck!
driver’s girlfriend
oh my god...
officer
don’t move!
(back door opens)
driver’s girlfriend
oh my god...
officer
don’t move!
(kid walks out of back door)
my take
the officer seems mentally unstable. he issued contradictory commands. he could have shot the girlfriend and the kid.
the driver sounds too relaxed, as if on pot, and he seems unaware of the danger he is put in by the officer’s contradictory commands.
i can understand that in the mind of the driver, he was not reaching for his gun when he allegedly reached for his wallet, and he was in full compliance with the officer at that time.
the officer does not say “don’t move!” until several seconds after shooting the victim.
i suspect that the officer was trained to say “don’t move” at the time the driver announces that he has a firearm on him. the officer forgot that he issued a command to produce a driver’s license. the officer instead said, don’t pull it out— but does not say what “it” is, implying that he was talking about the firearm, but not restricting the driver from pulling out his wallet to comply with the officer’s earlier request to produce a driver’s license.
will there be a civil lawsuit?
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/family-philando-castile-plans-lawsuit-attorney-says-n608156