Philandro Castile was stopped by a police officer. He announced to the policement that he had a carry permit. Individuals with carry permits are not required to make that announcement. Police officers do not have online access to that information.
Asked for his license and insurance information Mr. Castile reached for them. The officer claims to have seen a gun. If someone says they have a carry permit it's likely you've going to see a gun. Mr. Castile's handgun was buried deep in his right pocket. It's unlikely that the police officer saw anything except Mr. Castile's wallet.
The officer panicked and fired seven rounds into Mr. Castile who then died.
I was within a block of that shooting at the same time.
If I had a carry permit would I have announced it? No. Mr. Castile was a black man. I am white. Would I have been stopped for the same reason? No. Would the police officer have shot me seven times? No.
Mr. Castile worked in the school cafeteria and knew the names of all the children including members of my family. He was a decent guy who went to work each day.
The police officer lost it. He did not do a felony stop. He did a traffic stop. He failed at standard procedure and now a good guy is dead.
This is my neighborhood.
