Jury Selection Begins for Trial of Minnesota Officer Accused of Killing Philando Castile

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The process of selecting a jury is underway in the Twin Cities in the trial of a police officer charged with manslaughter for fatally shooting a black motorist.

The aftermath of the shooting of Philando Castile was streamed live on Facebook last July, thrusting his death into the national spotlight.

St. Anthony Officer Jeronimo Yanez is charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Castile’s family and friends claimed he was profiled because of his race.

“Wasn’t as diverse as I thought it would be,” said John Thompson, a friend of Castile’s. “Wasn’t that many African American people on the jury which is common in the courts, like, I don’t know why. There’s a lot of African American people that live here in Minnesota but we don’t get many in the jury pool ever. So this is not been new for me.”

Prosecutors say Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, after Castile told him he was armed.

Authorities later found Castile had a permit to carry.