Castile's girlfriend reaches settlement over shooting

November 30, 2017 at 3:01 a.m. | Updated November 30, 2017 at 2:59 a.m.

by Associated Press

In this July 6, 2017 file photo, Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, talks in St. Paul, Minn., about what her life has been like since Castile was fatally shot during a traffic stop a year ago. St. Anthony, the Minnesota city that employed the police officer who shot Castile, has reached a financial settlement with Reynolds and her daughter, who were in the car with him when he was killed. The St. Anthony City Council voted Tuesday Nov. 28, 2017 to pay Reynolds and her daughter $675,000.
In this July 6, 2017 file photo, Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, talks in St. Paul, Minn., about what her life has been like since Castile was fatally shot during a traffic stop a year ago. St. Anthony, the Minnesota city that employed the police officer who shot Castile, has reached a financial settlement with Reynolds and her daughter, who were in the car with him when he was killed. The St. Anthony City Council voted Tuesday Nov. 28, 2017 to pay Reynolds and her daughter $675,000.

ST. ANTHONY, Minn.-The Minnesota city that employed a police officer who fatally shot black motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year has reached a settlement with Castile's girlfriend and her daughter, who were in the car with him when he was killed.

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File Photo DAVID GOTTSCHALK Kikko Haydar, from right, and Fred Gulley III, University of Arkansas basketball players, along with Scotty Thurman, director of student-athlete development, meet veteran Richard Landmesser of Grove, Okla., with Valentine’s Day greetings Feb. 14 at The Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville. Haydar, Gulley and Thurman participated in the National Salute to Veteran Patients activities at the facility which invited visitors from the community to distribute Valentine’s Day cards and spend time with the veterans.

The St. Anthony City Council voted Tuesday night to pay $675,000 to Diamond Reynolds and her daughter, who was 4 years old when her father was killed. Reynolds also will receive $125,000 from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and the city of Roseville, where Reynolds was detained by police and questioned by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after the shooting.

St. Anthony Mayor Jerry Faust said the settlement resolves any civil litigation against the city and current and former employees and "opens the door to healing." A statement on the city's website says the settlement resolves Reynolds' claims of "emotional distress and false arrest."

Castile was driving in Falcon Heights when Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled him over and shot him after he said he was armed. Reynolds streamed the shooting's aftermath live on Facebook.

Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges and left the police department.

Reynolds released a statement Tuesday night, saying, "The settlement symbolizes that what happened to my daughter and I on July 6, 2016 was wrong. While no amount of money can change what happened, bring Philando back, or erase the pain that my daughter and I continue to suffer, I do hope that closing this chapter will allow us to get our lives back and move forward."

Castile's death and the officer's acquittal sparked weeks of protests. His mother, Valerie Castile, received a $3 million settlement from the city of St. Anthony in June.

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