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Shootings of Blacks Symptomatic of Racial Disparities in U.S., Obama Says After Philando Castile’s Killing, Obama Calls Police Shootings ‘an American Issue’
(about 2 hours later)
ST PAUL — An emotional President Obama declared on Thursday that “all Americans should be troubled” by fatal police shootings this week of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, saying that they were ”symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system.” ST. PAUL — President Obama, reacting with the same horror as many Americans to a grisly video of a bloody, dying man in Minnesota who was shot by the police, begged the nation to confront the racial disparities in law enforcement while acknowledging the dangers that officers face.
Speaking in Warsaw, and citing statistics that showed that blacks were far more likely to be arrested and shot by police, Mr. Obama asked Americans to try to understand that many people in the country think they are being treated unfairly. “When incidents like this occur, there’s a big chunk of our citizenry that feels as if, because of the color of their skin, they are not being treated the same, and that hurts, and that should trouble all of us,” Mr. Obama said in a statement on Thursday after arriving in Warsaw for a NATO summit. “This is not just a black issue, not just a Hispanic issue. This is an American issue that we all should care about.”
“When incidents like this occur, there’s a big chunk of our fellow citizenry that feels as if, because of the color of their skin, they are not being treated the same,” he said. “And that hurts. That should trouble all of us.” A few hours earlier, Gov. Mark Dayton of Minnesota, who seemed shaken by the video showing the man, Philando Castile, as he died, also pointed to the role of race. “Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white?” he asked. “I don’t think it would have.”
“To be concerned about these issues is not political correctness. It’s just being an American,” Mr. Obama said. “And to recognize the reality that we got some tough history and we haven’t gotten through that history yet.” The statements capped a wrenching day that started with widespread replays of the extraordinary video of Mr. Castile’s final moments and the aftermath of the shooting, which his girlfriend had narrated as they occurred live on Facebook. There were demonstrations and a vigil for Mr. Castile, with appearances by members of his family, in St. Paul.
The president spoke day after the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer during a traffic stop in Minnesota, the grisly aftermath of which was viewed by millions of people who watched the bloody, dying man in a video recorded by his girlfriend and streamed live. But the shooting reverberated far beyond the state. In Dallas, gunfire broke out Thursday evening at a demonstration, turning a vocal but peaceful rally into chaos as two snipers shot at police officers, killing four of them, the police said.
The shooting fit a longstanding pattern of disparate, unfair and even violent treatment of black people, Minnesota’s governor said Thursday. Mr. Dayton and members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation asked for the Justice Department to investigate the death of Mr. Castile, 32, who died hours after the department took over the investigation into the fatal police shooting, also captured on video, in Baton Rouge, La. The governor said he had spoken with White House and Justice Department officials.
“Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white?” Gov. Mark Dayton asked at a news conference. “I don’t think it would have.” But the department responded that for now, it would leave the investigation to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and would offer assistance.
He said he had heard from many black people, including some in positions of authority, about “how they’ve been pulled over, singled out,” in a way that white people would not have. “I’ve been told by very respectable African-American leaders that they understand how this dynamic goes on.” The shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota follow a long string of deaths of black people at the hands of the police — in Staten Island; Cleveland; Baltimore; Ferguson, Mo.; and North Charleston, S.C., among others — that have stoked outrage around the country. The encounters, many of them at least partly caught on video, have led to intense debate about race relations and law enforcement.
Mr. Dayton and members of the state’s congressional delegation asked for the Justice Department to investigate the death of Philando Castile, 32, who died hours after the department took over the investigation into the fatal police shooting, also captured on video, of another black man in Baton Rouge, La. The governor said he had spoken with Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff; Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama; and Vanita Gupta, who heads the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Mr. Obama, in Warsaw, said he felt compelled to follow up a Facebook message with a personal statement about the killings, though he said he could not comment directly on them. “But what I can say is that all of us, as Americans, should be troubled by these shootings, because these are not isolated incidents,” he said. “They’re symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system.”
But the department responded that for now, it would monitor the state investigation and offer assistance, rather than conduct its own investigation. The president cited the nation’s tortured racial history and current statistics on unequal treatment of the races. Sounding wistful, he said, “maybe in my children’s lifetimes, all the vestiges of that past will have been cured.”
The deadly encounter occurred Wednesday night in the city of Falcon Heights, just northwest of St. Paul. The graphic video from Minnesota showed Mr. Castile, who had been shot several times, slumping toward the woman who was recording the scene. As she did so, her 4-year-old daughter sat in the back seat and an officer stood just outside the driver’s side window, still aiming his gun at the mortally wounded man at point-blank range. Mr. Castile’s deadly encounter with the police occurred Wednesday night at 9 p.m., in the small city of Falcon Heights, just northwest of St. Paul. The graphic video showed Mr. Castile, who had been shot several times, slumping toward the woman who was recording the scene. As she did so, her 4-year-old daughter sat in the back seat and an officer stood just outside the driver’s side window, still aiming his gun at the mortally wounded man at point-blank range.
The video is all the more shocking for the calm, clear narration of the woman, Diamond Reynolds, who can be heard saying that Mr. Castile had done nothing wrong, and the fact that she was streaming it live on Facebook. On the video, Ms. Reynolds, who described herself as Mr. Castile’s girlfriend, gives her account of what happened, saying again and again that he was just reaching for his driver’s license and registration — as the officer had requested — when the officer opened fire. The video is all the more shocking for the calm, clear narration of the woman, Diamond Reynolds, and the fact that she was streaming it live on Facebook. On the video, Ms. Reynolds, who said Mr. Castile was her boyfriend, gives her account of what happened, saying again and again that he had informed the officer that he was carrying a gun, and that he was just reaching for his driver’s license and registration — as the officer had requested — when the officer opened fire. She estimated, at various times, that three, four or five shots were fired.
“Please, Officer, don’t tell me that you just did this to him,” she said. “You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir.”“Please, Officer, don’t tell me that you just did this to him,” she said. “You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir.”
Ms. Reynolds’s daughter appears several times in the video. Near the end of the 10-minute clip, as the two are sitting in the back of a police car and Ms. Reynolds becomes increasingly distraught, the girl comforts her mother. “It’s O.K., Mommy,” she says. “It’s O.K. I’m right here with you.”Ms. Reynolds’s daughter appears several times in the video. Near the end of the 10-minute clip, as the two are sitting in the back of a police car and Ms. Reynolds becomes increasingly distraught, the girl comforts her mother. “It’s O.K., Mommy,” she says. “It’s O.K. I’m right here with you.”
In his comments, President Obama made a point of emphasizing that protests and outrage after that shooting and one in Baton Rouge early Tuesday morning that was captured on video, did not constitute a bias against the police, saying that, “to be concerned about these issues is not to be against law enforcement.” Late Thursday night, Minnesota authorities identified the officer who fired as Jeronimo Yanez. They said he is on administrative leave as the investigation continues. Another officer who did not shoot but was on the scene is also on leave.
“I would just ask those who question the sincerity or the legitimacy of protests and vigils and expressions of outrage, who somehow label those expressions of outrage as ‘political correctness,’ I just ask folks to step back and think,” he said. “What if this happened to somebody in your family? How would you feel?” The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Mr. Castile’s manner of death to be a homicide, meaning he was killed by another person.
“We can do better,” he added, repeating the sentiment several times. In a short statement, the medical examiner said Mr. Castile sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at 9:37 p.m. in a hospital emergency room, about 20 minutes after he was shot.
Mr. Castile had worked in the nutrition services department of St. Paul Public Schools since 2002, and became a supervisor two years ago, the district said in a statement. In recent years, he worked at J. J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, which is part of the district.
“He was one of the softest-spoken people you’ve ever met,” said Antonio Johnson, a first cousin of Mr. Castile’s. “This kid has never been in an argument. You could try to argue with him, and he was so nonconfrontational that he’d just laugh.”
Danny Givens, a nondemoninational pastor who said he was a friend of Mr. Castile’s, said, “Philando was a very even-keeled man, good-hearted, personable, smile would light up a room, eyes that just speak volumes of love.”
In its statement, the school district said: “He had a cheerful disposition and his colleagues enjoyed working with him. He was quick to greet former co-workers with a smile and hug.”
In the day after the shooting, Ms. Reynolds and her video supplied the only public accounts of the lethal encounter. Officials said they could not offer any details, though they did confirm that a gun — presumably Mr. Castile’s — was recovered from the scene.
Mona Dohman, the state commissioner of public safety, who oversees the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, declined to say whether Mr. Castile had a permit to carry a concealed firearm.
Mr. Dayton said he was struck by the fact that the video did not show officers making any attempt to render first aid to the dying man, but that they handcuffed Ms. Reynolds and placed her and her daughter in the back of a police car. “The stark treatment I find just absolutely appalling at all levels,” he said.
The video of the shooting passed rapidly among Twitter, Facebook and YouTube users, becoming significant news online. The terms #FalconHeightsShooting and #PhilandoCastile were trending on Twitter as news of the encounter spread.
Hillary Clinton wrote on Twitter: “America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter.”Hillary Clinton wrote on Twitter: “America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter.”
As the Minnesota video circulated widely on social media, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the governor’s mansion in St. Paul overnight and Thursday, demanding accountability for the officers involved. Some voiced anger that Mr. Dayton did not respond faster; rumors circulated on social media that he had been evacuated from the mansion during the night, but the governor’s office said that was not the case. Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Ms. Reynolds said that Mr. Castile, had just come from having his hair done for his birthday when they were pulled over on Larpenteur Avenue, a major thoroughfare through Falcon Heights, a predominantly white and middle-class city of 5,500 residents. The two officers who stopped them were from the nearby city of St. Anthony, which provides police services under contract to Falcon Heights, One officer approached Mr. Castile, who was driving, and said he had a broken taillight, Ms. Reynolds said.
Thirteen hours after the shooting, Mr. Dayton, a Democrat, released his first statement, saying that he had requested a Justice Department investigation. He then emerged from the mansion and talked with protesters. “We’re shocked and horrified by what occurred last night,” he said. “A horrible, horrible tragedy, a senseless tragedy.” “He tells us to put our hands in the air, we have our hands in the air,” she said. “At the time as our hands is in the air, he asked for license and registration,” which Mr. Castile carried in a wallet in his back pocket.
The video of the shooting, which occurred around 9 p.m., passed rapidly among Twitter, Facebook and YouTube users, becoming significant news online before traditional news media — even those in the Minneapolis area — caught up. The terms #FalconHeightsShooting and #PhilandoCastile were trending on Twitter as news of the encounter spread. As he is reaching for his back pocket wallet, to produce his license and registration, “he lets the officer know, ‘Officer, I have a firearm on me,’ ” she said. “I began to yell, ‘But he’s licensed to carry.’ After that, he began to take off shots — bah, bah, bah, bah, ‘Don’t move! Don’t move!’ But how can you not move when you’re asking for license and registration? It’s either you want my hands in the air or you want my identification.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Ms. Reynolds said that Mr. Castile, a cafeteria supervisor for St. Paul Public Schools, had just come from having his hair done for his birthday when they were pulled over on Larpenteur Avenue, a major east-west thoroughfare. The video, some versions of which were reversed, making it appear that Mr. Castile was in the passenger seat, begins with images of Mr. Castile, who appears to be moaning and moving slightly, his left arm and left side bloody. Ms. Reynolds, who uses the name Lavish Reynolds on Facebook, then pans the camera to her face and says matter-of-factly, “They killed my boyfriend.” In the background, one of the officers can be heard shouting: “I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hands up.”
Falcon Heights is a small, predominantly white and middle-class city of about 5,500 residents, bordering St. Paul. The two officers who stopped them were from the nearby city of St. Anthony, which provides police services under contract to Falcon Heights, and one officer approached Mr. Castile, who was driving, and said he had a broken taillight, Ms. Reynolds said. Mr. Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, told CNN that she had taught her son to be extremely cautious when encountering members of law enforcement. “If you get stopped by the police, comply,” Ms. Castile said. “Comply, comply, comply.”
“He tells us to put our hands in the air, we have our hands in the air,” she said. “At the time as our hands is in the air, he asked for license and registration.
“My boyfriend carries all his information in a thick wallet in his right side back pocket. As he’s reaching for his back pocket wallet, he lets the officer know, ‘Officer, I have a firearm on me.’ I began to yell, ‘But he’s licensed to carry.’ After that, he began to take off shots — bah, bah, bah, bah, ‘Don’t move! Don’t move!’ But how can you not move when you’re asking for license and registration? It’s either you want my hands in the air or you want my identification.”
In the video, she says repeatedly that her boyfriend was shot several times while reaching for his license, and that he had told officers before the shooting that he had a gun in the car.
In the background, one of the officers can be heard shouting: “I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hands up.”
The video begins with images of Mr. Castile, who appears to be moaning and moving slightly, his left arm and left side bloody. Ms. Reynolds then pans the camera to her face and says matter-of-factly, “They killed my boyfriend.” Looking into the camera, she says that Mr. Castile had told officers that he was carrying a weapon — she says he was licensed to do so — and that he was following instructions to produce his license and registration when he was shot.
Jon Mangseth, the interim police chief of St. Anthony, said he could not provide any details about the shooting, but said the officer had been put on administrative leave. He declined to identify the officers involved, but said that the one who fired — whom Ms. Reynolds described as Asian-American — had been with the department for more than five years.
“We haven’t had an officer-involved shooting in 30 years or more,” he told reporters at the shooting scene early Thursday. “It’s shocking. It’s not something that occurs in this area often.”
Family members demanded justice for Mr. Castile during an interview on CNN early Thursday. Mr. Castile’s uncle, Clarence Castile, said police officers who were meant to protect Americans had instead become “our executioners and judges and murderers.”
When he watched the video, he said, “I saw a young man, shot, helpless — shot for no apparent reason. I saw my nephew shot by a man, clinging to his life with no help. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life.”
Mr. Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, said she had taught her son to be extremely cautious when encountering members of law enforcement. “If you get stopped by the police, comply,” Ms. Castile said. “Comply, comply, comply.”
“My son was a law-abiding citizen, and he did nothing wrong,” she said. “He’s no thug.”“My son was a law-abiding citizen, and he did nothing wrong,” she said. “He’s no thug.”
She added, “I think he was just black in the wrong place.”She added, “I think he was just black in the wrong place.”
Mr. Castile had worked in the nutrition services department of St. Paul Public Schools since 2002, and became a supervisor two years ago, the district said in a statement. In recent years, he worked at J. J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, which is part of the district.
“Colleagues describe him as a team player who maintained great relationships with staff and students alike,” the district’s statement said. “He had a cheerful disposition and his colleagues enjoyed working with him. He was quick to greet former co-workers with a smile and hug.”
In the Facebook video shot by Ms. Reynolds — who uses the name Lavish Reynolds online — her voice shaking, she says: “Oh, my God, please don’t tell me he’s gone. Please don’t tell me my boyfriend just went like that.”
Then: “Please, Jesus, don’t tell me that he’s gone. Please, Officer, don’t tell me that you just did this to him.” Ms. Reynolds was interviewed by the police and then released.
Mr. Castile was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where he died Wednesday night, Chief Mangseth said. No officers were injured, he said.