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U.S. NEWS Saturday 10 June 2017

Minnesota officer says motorist had hand on gun when shot

have a firearm on me.” nesses have testified that Yanez said he meant to
The shooting last July drew the gun was in a pocket of tell investigators that he
widespread attention in Castile’s shorts when para- saw the top of the slide, on
part because Castile’s girl- medics removed him from the back part of the gun,
friend — who was a pas- his vehicle. rather than the barrel. El-
senger in the car along Asked to explain the re- liot Erdman, a fellow officer
with her then-4-year-old cording, Yanez said: “What who described Yanez as a
daughter — streamed the I meant by that was I didn’t close friend, testified that
aftermath on Facebook. know where the gun was Yanez told him about the
A central question at trial up until I saw it in his right misstatement the day after
has been what Yanez saw thigh area.” the shooting.
before firing seven times, Prosecutor Rick Dusterhoft He recounted Yanez as
barely a minute after he asked Yanez about a state- saying: “Crap, I told them
approached the car. ment to investigators that barrel. I meant the slide.”
Squad car video recorded he saw the barrel of the gun Prosecutors have argued
him telling a supervisor after before he fired. Dusterhoft that Yanez could have tak-
In this photo, St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez stands the shooting that he did not said that was significant be- en lesser steps when Castile
outside the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul, Minn. Yanez,
charged in the death of a black motorist, testified Friday that he know where the gun was, cause it would have meant told him he was carrying a
was “scared to death” and fired because the man was pulling although it also recorded Castile had the gun all the handgun, such as asking to
out his gun and ignoring commands to stop. him saying he told Castile way out of his pocket when see Castile’s hands or ask-
(David Joles/Star Tribune via AP) to take his hand off it. Wit- he was shot. ing where the gun was. q
By STEVE KARNOWSKI “I was scared to death. I
Associated Press thought I was going to die.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A My family’s faces popped
Minnesota police officer up in my mind, my wife
charged in the death of a and baby girl,” Yanez
black motorist testified Fri- said, his voice choked with
day that he was “scared to emotion. Prosecutors say
death” and fired because Yanez’s actions were un-
the man was pulling out reasonable. Yanez had
his gun and ignoring com- pulled the 32-year-old
mands to stop. cafeteria worker over be-
Officer Jeronimo Yanez, cause of a broken taillight.
facing a manslaughter Castile had a permit for his
charge in the death of gun, and prosecutors have
Philando Castile, said he sought to portray him as
could clearly see the gun being cooperative when
that Castile had just told he volunteered to Yanez,
the officer he was carrying. “Sir, I have to tell you, I do

‘Cocaine cowboy’ who was on

lam 26 years pleads not guilty

By CURT ANDERSON and shackles. Falcon, 55,
AP Legal Affairs Writer is charged in a 1991 indict-
MIAMI (AP) — After 26 years ment claiming he was part
on the lam, a man dubbed of a major cocaine smug-
by investigators as one of gling operation during the
Miami’s last “cocaine cow- 1980s.
boys” pleaded not guilty Falcon vanished in 1991
Friday to decades-old drug when he, his older brother
trafficking charges that Augusto “Willie” Falcon,
could land him in prison for Salvador “Sal” Magluta
life. and others were originally
The plea was entered at charged. The gang pur-
a brief hearing Friday by portedly smuggled at least
Howard Srebnick, the at- 75 tons of cocaine into the
torney for Gustavo Falcon U.S., earning some $2 billion
who stood silently nearby during the hyper-violent
in a tan prison jumpsuit “Miami Vice” era.q