July 2, 2016: Two men rob a Super USA convenience store in Lauderdale. No arrests made. Image of at least one was caught on surveillance camera.
July 6, 2016: St. Anthony police pull over Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, saying he had a broken taillight. Officer also says driver looks like description released from July 2 robbery. Castile is fatally shot multiple times while his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, a passenger, live-streams the aftermath on Facebook.
July 7, 2016: Overnight protesters set up camp outside the Governor’s Residence. They would remain for nearly three weeks.
July 8, 2016: Jeronimo Yanez is identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is handling the investigation, as the St. Anthony police officer who shot Castile.
July 8, 2016: Gov. Mark Dayton speaks to protesters. His comments — “Would this have happened if … the driver and passenger would have been white? I don’t think it would.” — create controversy.
July 10, 2016: A section of Interstate 94 is shut down by hundreds of protesters. About 20 officers are injured. About 50 protesters are later charged with misdemeanors.
July 12, 2016: Castile’s mother, Valerie, receives a call from President Barack Obama. Obama will comment several other times on police shootings of African-Americans.
Nov. 16, 2016: Ramsey County Attorney John Choi charges Yanez with second-degree manslaughter, saying the shooting of Castile was unjustified. Prosecutors also say Castile is not a suspect in the Super USA robbery.
Feb. 27, 2017: Yanez pleads not guilty.
May 16, 2017: Minnesota Supreme Court dismisses a request by Yanez’s attorneys to move the trial out of Ramsey County.
May 30, 2017: Trial begin with jury selection.
June 6, 2017: Reynolds takes the stand. When ask why she live-streamed the aftermath, she testified: “Because I know that the people are not protected from police. I wanted to make sure if I was going to die in front of my daughter, someone would know the truth.”
June 9, 2017: Yanez takes the stand. “I was able to see the firearm in Mr. Castile’s hand, and that’s when I engaged him,” Yanez told the jury. “I had no other choice.”
June 12, 2017: After closing arguments, case handed over to jury.
June 16, 2017: Yanez found not guilty on all counts.
