Witness: Cops Comforted Philando Castile's Killer, Told Him 'He Would Get Through This'
Girlfriend Diamond Reynolds: 'They treated me like I did this.'
Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile who witnessed his shooting, said that no one bothered to check his pulse—instead, officers were more concerned with reassuring the cop who killed Castile that everything would be okay (for him).
"[Other officers] pulled [the officer who shot Castile] over to the side and they began to calm him down and tell him that it was okay and he would get through this," said Reynolds during a press conference on Thursday, according to Slate.
Meanwhile, Castile was unconscious and bleeding to death in the car where he had been shot five times. Reynolds and her young daughter were removed from the vehicle, separated, and eventually taken to the police station. Officers made Reynolds feels like it was her fault—like she was responsible for what had happened to her boyfriend.
"They treated me like I did this," said Reynolds.
As Brian Doherty noted earlier, Castile was pulled over for a broken tail light. The officer issued contradictory instructions to him and Reynolds, asking them to both provide license and registration while keeping their hands in the air. Castile informed the officer that he was carrying a firearm, and reached for his wallet to produce his permit. The officer then opened fire.
There's so much wrong with all of this. A man—a black man—should not lose his life for daring to exercise his Second Amendment rights. And while the killing of Castile is by far the most galling crime committed here, the way the police treated Reynolds is also inexcusable. The cops were only capable of showing humanity toward one of their own: the officer involved in the shooting. Assuming Reynolds' account is accurate, such utter lack of empathy on the part of law enforcement—during and after the shooting—is a grave concern.