A Minneapolis area police officer fatally shot a black man during a traffic stop, local law enforcement said on Thursday, and the victim’s fiancée streamed live footage of the gruesome aftermath on the internet.
The death of the man identified by his family as Philando Castile (32) came hours after the U.S. Justice Department said it had opened an investigation into Tuesday’s fatal shooting of a black man in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by two police officers.
The Justice Department said it was aware of the Minneapolis area incident and was assessing the situation. It did not say if it would start a formal investigation into whether excessive force was used. Mr. Castile’s mother expressed shock. “I never once in my life would have thought that my son would be killed by the persons that were supposed to protect and serve him,” Valerie Castile said on CNN.
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The use of force by police against blacks in cities from Ferguson, Missouri, to Baltimore and New York has sparked periodic and sometimes violent protests around the country, as well as spawning a movement called Black Lives Matter. Anger has intensified when the officers involved in such incidents are acquitted or not charged at all.
Protesters gathered on Thursday morning outside the mansion of Governor Mark Dayton in St. Paul, about 15 km southeast of the scene of the incident, local media said. Ms. Castile described her son as a “laid back” but industrious man who worked as a school cafeteria supervisor and enjoyed playing video games. He had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, she said. Ms. Castile, who was waiting for permission to see her son’s body, said she wanted the officer to be prosecuted.