Prosecutors: Comments in Minn. shooting admissible
Published 10:02 am Wednesday, March 29, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors handling the case against a Minnesota police officer accused of killing a black man during a traffic stop said statements the officer made to state investigators should be admitted at trial.
Defense attorneys for Jeronimo Yanez want to suppress an interview with the St. Anthony officer, dismiss the most serious charge against him and exclude an expert witness at trial.
Yanez is charged with second-degree manslaughter and two other felonies in the death of Philando Castile, who was shot in Falcon Heights in July 2016. The shooting generated widespread attention when Castile’s girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook.
Prosecutors said Yanez’s interview with investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension the day after Castile was killed was voluntary.
A motion hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.