*Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) suggested that race played a role in the death of Philando Castile, the 32-year-old school cafeteria manager shot and killed by police during a traffic stop over a broken taillight.
Dayton said he doesn’t think a police officer would have shot and killed a driver over a taillight if the driver had been white instead of black.
“Nobody should be shot and killed in Minnesota … for a taillight being out of function,” the governor said of the fatal encounter in Falcon Heights. “Nobody should be shot and killed while seated still in their car. I’m heartbroken.”
He added: “All of us in Minnesota are forced to confront that this kind of racism exists.”
Dayton said he thought the police response was “way over” what was called for when the officer shot Castillo multiple times, and that he was “deeply, deeply offended.”
Dayton has asked the White House for a federal investigation into the shooting. He said that he spoke with Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, to ask that the Justice Department look into the fatal encounter.
FBI Director James B. Comey, testifying before Congress about Hillary Clinton’s emails on Thursday, said he was briefed on the shooting and added that he “would expect we’ll be involved.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency investigating the shooting, said it was conducting initial interviews with witnesses as well as the officer.
Officials on Thursday did not release the identity of the officer who fired the fatal shots in the encounter with Castile. But that officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, St. Anthony officials said Thursday afternoon.
Reynolds said on camera that her boyfriend was legally licensed to carry a firearm and was reaching for his identification when the officer started to shoot.
“He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,” she said in a Facebook video viewed by millions.
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