The arrest and driving record of the man fatally shot by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop last summer could be raised at the officer’s trial.
Philando Castile’s record was listed as one of several exhibits officer Jeronimo Yanez’s defense team plans to present during his trial, court documents show.
While defense attorneys may use the information as a part of its case, the state could argue against its admissibility.
The trial is scheduled to begin May 30.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office declined to comment on its plans.
Yanez faces one count of second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a weapon stemming from the July 6 shooting that left 32-year-old Castile dead.
The defense also plans to present audio and video of the incident captured from the police officer’s squad car at trial, as well as Castile’s gun application, conceal and carry permit, the St. Anthony police department’s training materials, and content from Diamond Reynolds’ Facebook page, according to its recently filed exhibit list.
Reynolds was riding in Castile’s car when the shooting took place. She live-streamed the aftermath on Facebook. The video was viewed around the country and sparked local and national protests about police-use-of force issues involving people of color.
Castile, a black man, was carrying a gun in his vehicle when Yanez pulled him over on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights for a broken tail-light, according to the criminal complaint.
Yanez, who is Hispanic, also told his partner he suspected Castile may have been involved in a recent armed robbery at a nearby Super USA because he reportedly resembled the suspect in that case due to his “wide-set nose,” charges say.
After Yanez asked to see Castile’s license and proof of insurance, Castile told the officer he had a firearm on him, according to the complaint. He was a licensed gun owner.
The officer claims he shot Castile out of fear for his life when Castile reached for his gun despite orders not to.
Prosecutors say Castile was trying to comply with Yanez’s requests to see his license and proof of insurance when the officer recklessly fired at him.
Castile’s driving record was widely reported following his death.
The cafeteria supervisor for St. Paul schools had been pulled over at least 52 times in recent years and given citations for minor offenses such as speeding, driving without a muffler and failing to wear a seat belt. The record of citations prompted some to suggest he faced racial profiling by police.
Many of the charges against him were dismissed, but Castile pleaded guilty to some as well, including driving after his license was revoked and driving with no proof of insurance.
He was also arrested in 2008 for possessing marijuana in addition to driving with a revoked license, but the drug charge was dismissed.
In a previously filed motion, Yanez’s defense argued that the charges against the officer be dropped because Castile had THC in his system when Yanez shot him and was therefore culpable in his own death.
The court denied the request.
Prosecutors also recently filed a list of the exhibits they plan to present at trial.
It includes crime scene photos, still photos and video of the armed robbery at the Super USA, squad video and audio captured of the shooting, Reynolds’ Facebook video, autopsy photos, the clothing Castile was wearing when he died as well as the handgun he was carrying, and Yanez’s training records.
The defense also filed its witness list for the case. It includes nearly 70 names, many of whom are from the law enforcement community that was involved in responding to the scene of the shooting or its subsequent investigation.
Use-of-force experts, medical professionals, Castile’s mother, Reynolds, a parent and teacher from the school where Castile used to work, and an owner and instructor from Total Defense Inc. are on the list. The latter is a business in Ramsey that operates an indoor firing range and offers training, firearms and gear, according to its website.
The prosecution and defense have been arguing for weeks about whether the trial should be moved out of Ramsey County to a location where fewer people are familiar with the case.
So far, the defense’s attempts to secure a change of venue have been turned down by two judges. It recently asked the state’s Supreme Court to weigh in. A decision is pending.