Yes, the evidence indicates that Yanez was afraid for his life. He thought he might have been dealing with a robber (a fact he apparently didn’t tell Castile), and he testified that he smelled marijuana. But Castile was following Yanez’s commands, and It’s simply false that the mere presence of a gun makes the encounter more dangerous for the police. It all depends on who possesses the gun. If he’s a concealed-carry permit-holder, then he’s in one of the most law-abiding demographics in America.
.. In recent months we’ve seen a number of cases where courts have excused police for shooting citizens even after the police made mistakes — and the citizens were doing nothing wrong — simply because these citizens were exercising their Second Amendment rights. This is unacceptable, and it represents the most extreme possible deprivation of civil rights and civil liberties.
.. I’m aware of no evidence that Yanez panicked because Castile was black. But whether he panicked because of race, simply because of the gun, or because of both, he still panicked, and he should have been held accountable. The jury’s verdict was a miscarriage of justice.
Iowa Police Arrest Suspect in ‘Ambush’ Killings of 2 Officers
Two police officers were shot and killed early Wednesday while sitting in their patrol cars in the Des Moines area, and the authorities later arrested a 46-year-old Iowa man in connection with the “ambush-style attacks.”
.. Scott Greene is shown being escorted from an Urbandale High School football game two days earlier. In the video, the man is angry because, he says, someone at the game took away the Confederate flag he was holding.
.. Throughout the 10-minute video, the officers tell the man he is being accused of causing a disturbance inside the stadium. He continues to demand the return of his flag and asks them to file charges against the person who took the flag.
“I was peacefully protesting,” he said, repeatedly asking whether he had committed a crime.
Outside the stadium, the man tells the officers that he wants to file assault charges against the “African-American people that were behind me” who he said took the flag.