Philando Castile: Another Black Man Killed by Police in Minnesota
Philando Castile, a black man from Minnesota, has been shot dead by police as protests continued over the police killing of another black man in Louisiana.
His girlfriend live-streamed the aftermath of the latest incident, showing Philando Castile covered in blood as an officer pointed his gun at him.
Philando Castile, 32, was shot as he reached for his driving license, she said.
His death follows the death of Alton Sterling from Louisiana, who was shot dead by police during an incident in Baton Rouge on July 5.
Hundreds of people have protested for two nights over Alton Sterling’s killing.
The deaths follow a long line of high-profile incidents involving African-Americans at the hands of the police, igniting a national debate about the lethal use of force.
Philando Castile had been stopped in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St Paul, because the car had a broken rear light, the woman, identified in local media reports as Lavish Reynolds, said.
Before he was shot, Philando Castile told the officer that he was licensed to carry a concealed gun and had one in his possession, she said.
“You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir,” Lavish Reynolds says in the video.
A child, Lavish Reynolds’s daughter, was also in the car at the time.
Police said an investigation was under way and the officer involved had been put on leave.
Philando Castile worked as a cafeteria supervisor at a Montessori school. His cousin Antonio Johnson told the Star Tribune newspaper he was “immediately criminally profiled” because he was black.
About 200 people have been protesting outside State Governor Mark Dayton’s mansion in St Paul.
In Baton Rouge, hundreds of people gathered for a second night of protests at the shop where Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old father of five, was killed on July 5.
Some demonstrators chanted “Black lives matter” and called for justice.
Video emerged on July 6 appearing to show Alton Sterling being held down and then shot several times, although some shots are heard when the camera moves away from the confrontation.
Seconds later, one of the officers is seen removing an object from Philando Castile’s trousers as he lies on the ground with blood on his chest.
The officers involved, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, have been put on administrative leave and the DoJ has launched a civil rights investigation.