Thousands March In Saint Paul After Philando Castile Verdict

Protesters rallied in front of the state Capitol in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Friday after a jury found a police officer not guilty in the July 2016 shooting death of Philando Castile.

Jeronimo Yanez, a police officer in the suburb of St. Anthony, shot and killed Castile, who was black, during a traffic stop. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, was in the car with him and filmed the aftermath of the shooting. Yanez was found not guilty of several charges  Friday, including manslaughter. 

Demonstrators had planned to gather outside the Capitol even before the verdict was made public, according to local news station WCCO. Saint Paul police estimated there were around 2,000 people  at the rally as of 9:41 p.m. local time.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Reynolds said in a statement that she was “incredibly disappointed.”