Officer Yanez found not guilty of all counts in Philando Castile shooting

There were scenes of heartbreak, grief and anger once again when Philando Castile's family and friends Friday, nearly a year after his killing.

Prosecutors portrayed Yanez as a nervous officer who lost control of his traffic stop.

- A Minnesota police officer, whose fatal shooting of a black motorist transfixed the nation when his girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath, was acquitted of all charges Friday.

The verdict - not guilty on one count of second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of reckless discharge of a firearm - was criticized by the advocacy groups Communities United Against Police Brutality and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, which formed in the wake of the officer-involved Jamar Clark shooting in North Minneapolis.

The 12 jurors that deliberated Yanez's case included two black people.

Attorney Earl Gray also hammered away at alleged drug use by Castile and his girlfriend, telling jurors that Castile's being high contributed to his failure to follow Yanez's commands. Meanwhile, Yanez yells at her and continues to point his gun. After handing over his insurance card, Castile told him, "Sir, I do have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me". Are you kidding me right now?

John Thompson, who worked with Castile in St. Paul's public schools, stirred the crowd with profanity-laden remarks screamed into a microphone. He had no criminal record but had been convicted of 31 misdemeanors and petty misdemeanors - all related to driving.

Anthony, Minnesota police officer was acquitted on all counts in the shooting death of 32-year-old Philando Castile.

But Philando Castile only had a broken tail light, a wide-set nose, a gun he was carrying legally, and a little jar of pot under the seat. When Kauser said, "I don't know what (Castile) was reaching for", Paulsen replied, "Exactly".

The evidence included squad auto video, but its wide view didn't capture exactly what happened inside the vehicle - leaving jurors to essentially decide whether they believed Yanez when he said Castile had his hand on the gun. Yanez later said that he thought Castile was reaching for his gun. Reynolds said in the video, and testified in court, that Castile had been trying to cooperate and produce his driver's license.

Kauser also testified that he trusted Yanez as a partner. We're going back to 1969.

But police officers defended their own, emphasizing the dangers of their jobs and saying that officers who feel threatened yet hesitate to fire their weapons could end up dead. Today's verdict drew outrage across the country, and Castile's mother Valerie reacted to the verdict in a powerful speech on the courthouse steps. "My son loved this city, and the city killed my son and the murderer gets away".

Reynolds, in a statement issued through her attorney, said she was "incredibly disappointed in the verdict". Prosecutors argued that Yanez had overreacted and that Castile, a school cafeteria worker, was not a threat. He did nothing but comply with Officer Yanez's instructions to get his driver's license ...

City officials in St. Anthony said they would offer Yanez a "voluntary separation" because they had concluded "the public will be best served" if he is no longer an officer there. Shortly after the verdict was announced, the town of St. Anthony said Jeronimo Yanez is no longer employed there.