Rep. Ellison Statement on the Charging of Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the Death of Philando Castile

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi charged Officer Jeronimo Yanez, the officer who shot Philando Castile, with second-degree manslaughter.

"I trust Ramsey County Attorney Choi's decision to charge Officer Yanez in the death of Philando Castile. Officer Yanez will get a fair trial, and will be presumed innocent until proven guilty. This is one of the reasons Choi's policy decision to have Ramsey County review each officer-involved shooting individually, and not immediately refer to a grand jury, is so important. The victims of officer-involved shootings, and their families, deserve justice. And that means moving away from the grand jury system. We must ensure that this is a step towards greater accountability and transparency, and not merely an isolated decision.

"We may not be able to give solace to Philando's grieving family, his partner Diamond Reynolds or her daughter. But we can give them justice. And we can give them our promise that we will fight to make sure these types of shootings never happen again. We owe it to Philando.

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