Officer-Involved Shooting Sparks Protests in Twin Cities

St. Anthony Police initiated a traffic stop around 9PM Wednesday night in Falcon Heights, near the state fairgrounds at Larpenteur and Snelling avenues. According to the Star Tribune, the victim's girlfriend said they were told they were pulled over for a broken taillight.

The man who was shot has been identified by family as 32-year-old Philando Castile, a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul. After the shooting, the girlfriend started making a video on Facebook Live.The girlfriend said in the video that the officer had asked for Castile's license and insurance information. Castile said OK, that it was in his wallet. But that he had a pistol on him because he is licensed to carry. The officer told him to not move and as he was putting his hands back up, the girlfriend said the officer shot him four or five times.

On the video the officer can be heard to say, “I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hand out.”

St. Anthony police Sgt. Jon Mangseth, who is the interim police chief, told reporters at the scene that the primary officer who initiated the traffic stop and the backup officer who responded were St. Anthony police officers.

Mangseth said the officer involved is a five-year veteran of the department. He has been placed on administrative leave. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the case.

As word of the shooting and video spread, protesters and relatives of the man showed up at the Governor's Residence. It was unclear if Gov. Mark Dayton was there at the time.