Judge in Minnesota police shooting offers jurors support

The verdict on June 16 sparked a rally at the state capitol, which gave way to a march through St. Paul that shut down light rail service and ended with a confrontation with authorities on Interstate 94.

Leary sent his letter a few days after authorities released dramatic dashboard camera video showing the Latino officer firing seven shots at the 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker in a matter of seconds, just after Castile informed Yanez he was armed. The shooting gained widespread attention after Castile’s girlfriend, who was in the car with her then-4-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.

During his trial, Yanez, 29, testified that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out his gun. The officer said he feared for his life. According to squad car video that captured the shooting, Castile said “I’m not pulling it out” before Yanez opened fire. Castile’s last words were: “I wasn’t reaching … “

Reynolds later said Castile was reaching for his wallet.

In his letter, Leary broke down the multiple elements of the law that prosecutors were required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, including whether Yanez acted with gross negligence and recklessness.

“The state’s failure to prove any of the required elements of the charge required that you, the jury, return a verdict of not guilty,” Leary wrote.

Leary wrote that the criticism has focused primarily on reaction to the squad car video and issues that the jury was never asked to address.

“You were never asked to decide whether racism continues to exist, whether certain members of our community are disproportionately affected by police tactics, or whether police training is ineffective,” he said. “You were simply asked to determine, beyond a reasonable doubt, whether a crime had been committed.”

Yanez attorney Earl Gray said he appreciated Leary’s letter.

“He told the jury they followed the law and did their duty,” Gray said. “I’m sure the jurors felt better.”

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that it had no comment.

“It’s unusual to do a letter after the fact, but there’s nothing inappropriate about this letter,” said local defence attorney Joe Tamburino, who was not involved in the case. “I say hats off to him for doing this, because the jury received an inordinate amount of criticism. The issue was whether the state proved its case, not greater social issues.”

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Judge in Minnesota police shooting offers jurors support

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