Woman who streamed Philando Castile shooting arrested in alleged hammer assault
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A woman who livestreamed the aftermath of her boyfriend’s fatal shooting by police during a Minnesota traffic stop last year has been arrested in a reported assault, authorities said Friday.
Diamond Reynolds and two other women were arrested Thursday after a woman reported being attacked and hit in the head with a hammer on Tuesday morning, police spokesman Steve Linders said. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries but was able to identify the three suspects, he said.
The police report doesn’t describe Reynolds’ alleged role in the attack.
CBS affiliate WCCO reports the decision to charge the women will go to the neighboring Washington County Attorney’s office, because of Reynolds’ connection to the Philando Castile case, which is being tried in Ramsey County.
Reynolds’ attorney, Larry Rogers, didn’t immediately reply to a phone message seeking comment.
Reynolds used Facebook Live to stream the bloody aftermath of the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castile. Castile, a 32-year-old black man, was shot by a police officer during a July 6 traffic stop in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights.
Prosecutors say the officer, Jeronimo Yanez of the St. Anthony Police Department, a Latino, shot Castile seven times after the elementary school cafeteria worker told him he was armed. Authorities later discovered Castile had a permit to carry a weapon.
After the final shot, Reynolds frantically yelled: “You just killed my boyfriend!”
Castile moaned and uttered his final words: “I wasn’t reaching for it.”
Yanez pleaded not guilty Monday to manslaughter and other charges. His trial is scheduled to begin May 30. His attorneys say he had no choice but to shoot Castile after he saw a gun and perceived a threat to his life.
Prosecutors dispute whether the officer saw the gun.
