Thousand of protesters are marching across US cities to protest police brutality under the Black Lives Matter slogan following this week's deadly shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In Dallas, a number of police officers were shot during a rally, according to reports.
08 July 2016
Watch RT's latest report on Minnesota shooting
The police officer who killed Philando Castile probably wouldn't have fired if Castile hadn’t been black, Minnesota's Governor Mark Dayton said.
"Would this have happened if those passengers would have been white? I don't think it would have," Dayton told the crowd who gathered outside his residence.
Eleven officers have been shot by two snipers, leaving four officers dead and two in surgery, according to the Dallas police chief.
In Seattle's Black Lives Matter march, social media users report that police used “blast balls” against the crowd after hundreds of people gathered downtown.
Protesters in Oakland, California have shut down both directions of Interstate 880, marching in solidarity with nationwide protests against apparent police brutality.
Authorities from Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have identified the two police officers involved in the killing of Philando Castile, who was stopped and shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota earlier this week.
The officers involved were Jeronimo Yanez and Joseph Kauser, who have both served with St. Anthony Police Department for four years. The statement said that Yanez opened fire, striking Castile multiple times.
At least 10 officers have been shot by two snipers, leaving three officers dead and two in surgery, according to the Dallas police chief, KDFW reported.
Protesters participating in Shut it Down march are now marching through the streets of Portland Oregon.
The Hennepin County medical examiner's office confirmed that Castile died from gunshot wounds at 9:17pm Wednesday at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. The office did not specify how many times Castile was hit but it listed the death as homicide.
Major over Southeast Patrol Division in Dallas is urging social media users not to broadcast officers' positions.
Dallas officer shot down amid protest
At least one Dallas police officer was reportedly shot down during a protest, causing the demonstrators to run out to clear the area. The armed suspect is reportedly on the loose, and police are urging people to avoid the area.
A uniformed officer confirmed that two officers were shot, a Fox News reporter on the scene has reported.
G.J. McCarthy of the Dallas Morning News caught video just after shots were fired.
DC and LA protests
In Washington, DC, protesters busted through a police barrier to reach the steps of the US Capitol, where they were met by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The members of Congress, however, had a hard time making their voices heard over the crowd, as shown on Twitter video captured by Alejandro Alvarez.
Not long after, the DC protesters left the Capitol building, reportedly heading back to the White House.
RT's Brigida Santos is live on-scene at Los Angeles City Hall, where another gathering in solidarity has formed.
Chicago, Dallas and DC protests
Solidarity protests in Chicago, Dallas and the District of Columbia have sprung up, with arrests reported in Chicago, where some blocked a highway.
RT's Alexey Yaroshevsky was in Washington, DC, where protesters reached the White House.
Jeff Paul of KTVT in Dallas caught view of a large gathering.
The Chicago protests resulted in at least one arrest.
07 July 2016
Obama on police reform
President Barack Obama called for more urgency in police reform in remarks Thursday evening.
“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, and that hurts. And that should trouble all of us,” Obama said.
“These are not isolated incidents, they are symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal just system,” he added.
The president was in Poland, where a NATO summit begins Friday.
Obama on shootings
“This is not just a black issue. This is not just a Hispanic issue. This is an American issue,” President Barack Obama said Thursday evening in a press conference.
Obama added that after seeing “disparities” in statistics of police interactions with blacks and Latinos, “it's incumbent on all of us to say, 'we can do better than this.'”
Vice President Biden tweets
Vice President Joe Biden tweeted, “More black lives lost. More anger I share with the country. More broken trust we have to restore. We all must do this.”
Protests
Protesters supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement stopped traffic on 5th Avenue in New York City, according to video captured by Peter Allen Clark of Mashable.
RT's Manuel Rapalo spoke with people pouring out to vigils and protests in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Thursday.
RT's Anya Parampil reported from Minnesota Governor Dayton's home in St. Paul, where protesters demanded justice.
'This kind of racism exists': Governor says police may not have killed Castile if he was white
“Would this have happened if the passengers were white? I don’t think it would have,” Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) said Thursday, the Washington Post reported. “All of us in Minnesota are forced to confront that this kind of racism exists.”
During the press conference in St. Paul, Gov. Dayton added that the response by police went “way over” what was necessary and that the death of Phlando Castile left him “deeply, deeply offended,”according to New York City CW-affiliate WPIX.
The Department of Justice is ready to assist with the investigation, but will not take the lead, in contrast with the case of Alton Sterling in Louisiana.
RT America's Anya Parampil is in Minnesota, reporting from protests over the shooting of Philando Castile.
“I’m heartbroken for Minnesota,” Governor Mark Dayton said at a press conference in St. Paul on Thursday afternoon. “I’m forced to confront that… this kind of racism exists.”
He was “shocked and… deeply offended” that something like this happened in his state.
“Justice will be served. Justice must be served,” Dayton vowed.
The governor described the treatment of Castile, Reynolds and their daughter as "absolutely appalling at all levels."
A transcript of the Facebook Live video recorded by Philando Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds has been released by AP.
"He was trying to get out his ID and his wallet out his pocket and he let the officer know that he was ... he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm," Reynolds says.
The officer who shot Castile can be heard cursing, then saying, "I told him not to reach for it, I told him to get his hand out."
"You told him to get his ID sir, his driver's license," Reynolds replies, adding, "Oh my God, please don't tell me he's dead. Please don't tell me my boyfriend just went like that."
Later, as she is placed in the back of the police car in handcuffs, Reynolds continues her broadcast, repeating her location and saying, "The Roseville Police Department just shot my boyfriend. They shot him four times. He's licensed to carry. We had a busted tail light, and we had some weed in the car, that's about it."
Reynolds also identified the officer involved in the shooting: "It was a Chinese police officer that shot him. He's Chinese, he's about five-five, five-six-and-a-half, heavy-set guy."
“All Americans should be deeply troubled by the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota,” President Barack Obama said in a Facebook post. “…what's clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve.”
Obama urged all Americans to “recognize the anger, frustration, and grief that so many Americans are feeling – feelings that are being expressed in peaceful protests and vigils. Michelle and I share those feelings.”
“Let's come together as a nation, and keep faith with one another, in order to ensure a future where all of our children know that their lives matter,” the president concluded.
The Department of Justice will not take over the investigation at this time, CBS reported citing law enforcement sources.
The issue of disproportionate killing of black people by police has raised during a Congress committee hearing regarding Hillary Clinton's emails. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey) asked FBI director if his agency devotes enough resources to investigating such cases. Comey replied that the bureau spends enough resources in this respect.
Diamond Reynolds, the woman who made the death of her fiancée Philando Castile go viral by broadcasting the aftermath on Facebook, says she was handcuffed by the police.
"I was treated like a criminal. I was treated like I was the one that did this. They were very racist towards me. They treated me like this was my fault," she told reporters.
Reynolds also said that the officer made no attempt to provide first aid to Castile, or check his pulse.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a fiery series of tweets about the deaths of both Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, who was killed on Tuesday and was also a black man.
Speaking with CNN Thursday morning, Valerie Castile, the victim's mother, said that she was "outraged" by the killing.
"It's becoming more and more repetitive," Castile said. "Every day you hear of another black person being shot down – gunned down – by the people who are supposed to protect us."
Governor Mark Dayton spoke to protesters and gave his condolences to the family and friends of Castile.
“On behalf of all decent minded Minnesotans, we are shocked and horrified by what occurred last night,” Dayton said. “This kind of behavior is unacceptable. It is not the norm in Minnesota. I promise … to see that this matter is brought to justice and all avenues are pursued and do a complete investigation. Justice will be served in Minnesota.”
Castile's girlfriend joined protesters at the governor's mansion and spoke to media, saying that her boyfriend notified the officer that he possessed a gun and was reaching for his wallet when he was shot.
"It's either you want my hands in the air or you want my information and identification," the girlfriend said.
Mark Dayton, the Democrat governor of Minnesota, has demanded a federal probe into the death of Philando Castile. Earlier, Dayton’s residence was surrounded by protesters chanting and honking horns, forcing the politician to be evacuated.
The US Justice Department said it was aware of the killing of Philando Castile and is now “assessing the situation,” as reported by Reuters. The department did not specify if it will launch a formal inquiry into whether the officer used excessive force.
The victim’s uncle, Clarence Castile, told NBC that Philando had a concealed weapons permit to carry a firearm.
“My nephew, he wasn't trying to pull a weapon on those police…He was reaching for ID,” he said, adding that his nephew was one more victim in a long line of "young black men being murdered” by police officers.
“We all know my nephew was a good kid and we want justice as well as relief,” Clarence Castile, Philando Castile's uncle, told CNN.
Castile’s cousin, Antonio Johnson, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the victim had been a straight-A student and graduated with honors from St. Paul Central High School.
Philando Castile worked at Minnesota University, according to his Facebook page. His mother told website Heavy.com that he worked in the cafeteria.
“They took a good man, a hard-working man – he worked since he was 18 years old,” Castile’s mother, Valerie, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
"I'm tired of the laws and policies on the books being used to justify murder," Nekima Levy-Pounds, a civil rights attorney, told the crowd who gathered in front of the Minnesota governor’s mansion. "This is completely unacceptable. Somebody say, 'Enough is Enough.'"
The police officer who shot Castile is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, AP reported, citing officials.
The Minnesota governor was evacuated from his mansion as the crowd outside grew, according to reports online.
Another crowd is growing in numbers at the Minnesota governor’s mansion in St. Paul. They are shouting and honking their car horns.
"No justice, no sleep," the protesters chanted. "[the governor] Mark Dayton, do you care?"
Some 200+ people first gathered near the place where Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer. The gathering was said to be peaceful.
An investigation into the Castile case has been launched by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The video released only three hours ago has been watched some 75,000 times already.
Philando Castile, 32, of Falcon Heights succumbed to his wounds later at Hennepin County Medical Center, according to his mother Valerie Castle, WCCO reports.
A video has appeared on Facebook on which a police officer shot a man in a car also containing a woman and a child. In the footage Philando Castile, 32, of Falcon Heights was driving and his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds was in the passenger seat when they were pulled over for a broken taillight. Reynolds’ 4-year-old daughter was in the back seat.
The officer asked Castile to produce some ID and a driver’s license.
The video Reynolds shot of the incident takes place immediately after the shooting. It shows an unconscious Castle with blood all over his white t-shirt. The officer has his gun cocked, visibly in a state of total panic and shouting the following: “I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand out…”
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO