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https://www.yahoo.com/news/castile-told-officer-gun-key-part-final-moments-055407202.html?ref=gs
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The final moments before Philando Castile was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in suburban St. Paul revolved around a gun he was licensed to carry, trained to use safely and instructed to tell authorities about when stopped.
But just how he informed the officer — and whether the officer followed his own training — gets to the heart of the investigation into Castile's death last week.
Castile, who was black, was fatally shot July 6 after he was pulled over by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino. Castile's girlfriend streamed the aftermath live on Facebook and said Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed.
Yanez's attorney has said the officer reacted after seeing a gun, and that one of the reasons he pulled Castile over was because he thought he looked like a "possible match" for an armed robbery suspect. Castile's family says he was profiled because of his race. They were among more than 1,500 mourners who filled the Cathedral of Saint Paul for his funeral Thursday.
A letter from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office confirms Castile, 32, got his permit last year. The letter, dated June 4, 2015, says Castile's permit is enclosed. It also says that he must have his permit card and photo identification when carrying a pistol, and must display those items "upon lawful demand by a peace officer."
Allysza Castile said she and her brother took a required gun safety class together last year.
Dan Wellman, owner of Total Defense in Ramsey, confirmed the Castiles came to class in May 2015. Wellman doesn't remember the pair. He said he wasn't teaching the class that day.
But each class is told repeatedly how to handle a traffic stop or any encounter with law enforcement, he said. Students are taught to comply with every demand, hand over their permits to carry with their driver's licenses and calmly answer follow-up questions about licensed firearms, including where they are.
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Documents provided by the St. Anthony Police Department also show Yanez attended a training seminar in 2014 called "Bulletproof Warrior," a two-day course hosted by an Illinois company that teaches students how to "utilize their 'Warrior Spirit' in a practical way so they can WIN hostile confrontations on the street," according to promotional materials for the seminar.
Yanez also received two hours of de-escalation training this spring — the only record of such training since he joined the force in late 2011. His attorney and the St. Anthony police chief did not return messages for comment Wednesday.
Court and driver records show Castile was pulled over or ticketed at least 52 times in Minnesota since 2002, with 86 total misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor counts. More than half of the 86 violations were dismissed, court records show. He had no serious criminal record.
He was stopped at least two times since he received his permit to carry. Records do not indicate whether he had his gun with him on those stops.
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