Castile’s girlfriend reaches settlement over police shooting

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.

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.