ST. PAUL, Minn. (CN) – Prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered closing arguments Monday over manslaughter charges that could send the Minnesota police officer who killed Philando Castile to state prison for 10 years.
St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez, 29, has been charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in prison on the manslaughter charge.
Castile’s July 2016 killing received worldwide attention when his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was in the car with her 4-year-old daughter, live-streamed the immediate aftermath on Facebook.
Castile had the right to be treated like an "ordinary citizen" the night he was pulled over for a broken tail light, prosecutor Jeffrey Paulsen told jurors Monday morning.
Castile had no reason to believe he was being pulled over for any other basis, Paulsen stated.
"He did what he was supposed to do," the prosecutor said.
He was courteous, non-threatening, offered no resistance and "didn't even complain about being pulled over for such a minor offense," Paulsen added.
Paulsen rebutted the defense's argument that Castile ignored Yanez's commands not to reach for his gun.
Paulsen said Castile was paying attention and denied reaching for his gun.
When Castile was telling Yanez that he was "not reaching for it," Yanez admitted that he was experiencing tunnel vision simultaneously, Paulsen argued.
At this point in time the officer was "not listening" and Castile was shot five times in the chest without being told to stop, Paulsen said.
"This isn't a murder case. It's a manslaughter case," he told jurors.
Paulsen also argued that any applied negligence and any claimed fault on the victim’s part isn't a defense.
Ramsey County District Judge William Leary III provided jury instructions after he dismissed the court for lunch Monday afternoon.
The jurors will consider each of the criminal offenses brought against Yanez separately.
For the second-degree manslaughter charge, jurors will decide whether there was "culpable negligence" in Yanez's conduct and if he created "an unreasonable risk" and caused "death or great bodily harm" to Castile.
The jury has to find three elements to convict Yanez of second-degree manslaughter: that the death occurred, Yanez caused the death of Castile by culpable negligence, and Yanez's actions took place on July 6, 2016 in Ramsey County.
For the two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm, jurors will need to decide whether the officer discharged his firearm under circumstances that endangered Reynolds and her daughter, Dae-Anna.
Paulsen further argued that it would not have made sense for Castile to pull a gun on an officer.
"He had no reason to pull a gun," the prosecutor said.
Paulsen explained to jurors that even if Castile pulled the gun, no bullets were in the gun's chamber at the time and Castile would have had to use both hands to fire the gun anyway.
Paulsen relied on a PowerPoint presentation to articulate the major points of his argument, including Yanez's statements to an agent from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
In his statement to the BCA about what he saw in Castile's hand, Paulsen claimed Yanez said, “I know he had an object and it was dark.”