*Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, has received an apology from Elysian, Minnesota Mayor Tom McBroom as part of her dropping a defamation lawsuit against him.
Reynolds filed a defamation lawsuit last year against McBroom over his 2017 tweet where he stated she would spend her settlement money on “crack cocaine.”
If you recall, she and her four-year-old daughter were in the car with Castile when he was fatally shot in 2016 by now-former police officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop in St. Anthony, MN.
In November of 2017 she received a settlement of $800,000 from the city of St. Anthony, the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and the city of Roseville in connection with the shooting.
However, McBroom, who was a Rice County sheriff’s sergeant at the time, apparently had a huge problem with her being awarded the settlement and took to Twitter to bitch about it:
“She needs to come off County and State Aid now that she has some cash. It’ll be gone in 6 months on crack cocaine.”
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As a result of that tweet, McBroom was demoted by Sheriff Troy Dunn to deputy status in February 2018 for “misconduct.”
Reynolds, who livestreamed the aftermath of Castile’s fatal shooting in 2016, contended in her lawsuit that a tweet from McBroom, was defamatory, false and racially motivated.
As reported by the Star Tribune, attorneys on both sides of the defamation suit declined to reveal terms of the settlement — other than releasing the mayor’s apology to Reynolds.
“I want to apologize to you for my remarks I made when you were awarded money for the loss of … Mr. Castile. From everything I have read since, he was a good person and well liked within his community and school. You lost a loved one and your daughter witnessed a violent act that no young child should ever have to witness.
“My comments were hurtful towards someone I did not know and should never have been written. I hope one day you will forgive me for those ignorant words. I am not the person who has hate for anyone. I hope, pray, and wish nothing but the best for you and your daughter moving forward.”
Reynolds was seeking more than $50,000 in damages in her defamation lawsuit.
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