Cop who killed Philando Castile charged with second-degree manslaughter

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi has announced that the police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile this year will face charges of second-degree manslaughter.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Choi said that after a thorough investigation of the incident, authorities had determined that the use of deadly force against Castile was not justified.

Choi said that Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Castile a total of seven times, and added that Castile used his final words to tell the officer that he wasn't reaching for his gun.

The 32-year-old Castile's death garnered national headlines earlier this past July when his girlfriend filmed his fatal encounter with police and posted it online. The video showed that Castile was complying with the officer's commands, and that he had informed Officer Yanez that he was carrying a gun on him so the officer wouldn't be alarmed if he spotted it.

When Castile then reached for his wallet to present his identification, the officer opened fire on him.