Attorneys for cop who killed Philando Castile want charges dropped

Philando Castile
Philando Castile in an undated photo.
Courtesy of Sam Castile

Attorneys for Jeronimo Yanez, the police officer who killed a Philando Castile during a July traffic stop, are asking that charges against him be dismissed.

Yanez's attorneys are filing a motion that says Castile was negligent in his own death because he was driving while high and did not follow Yanez's commands.

In the documents, attorney Earl Gray wrote that autopsy results showed Castile had high levels of THC in his blood, and that an objective review of squad video confirms Yanez's description of why he acted in self-defense.

Yanez shot Castile during a traffic stop in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. Yanez is charged with manslaughter and other counts.

Glenda Hatchett, an attorney for the Castile family, said the charges against Yanez speak for themselves. She had no further comment.

The Department of Justice is planning to announce a review of the St. Anthony Police Department in the wake of the shooting of Castile.

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