The Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last year’s fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile will receive US$48,500 as he leaves the suburban department that employed him at the time of the killing, according to a separation agreement announced on Monday.
Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the money in a lump sum, minus applicable deductions and withholdings for state and US federal taxes.
Under the five-page agreement released through a public records request, the Minneapolis suburb of St Anthony also will pay Yanez for up to 600 hours of accrued and unused personal leave pay. The agreement, which has Monday’s date, does not say how much time he has accrued.
His annual salary at the time of the July 6 shooting was more than US$72,600, not including overtime pay, according to documents released by the city.
Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, several times during a traffic stop after Castile told the officer he was armed. Castile had a permit for his gun.
The shooting gained widespread attention after Castile’s girlfriend, who was in the car along with her then-four-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.
Yanez, 29 and Latino, was acquitted last month of manslaughter and other charges.
On the day of the verdict, the city announced the “public will be best served” if Yanez were no longer an officer.
The city on Monday said that the agreement “ends all employment rights” for Yanez.
“Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated,” it said in a statement. “A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The city concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed.”
Castile’s uncle, Clarence Castile, said his is glad Yanez will no longer be an officer.
“He should be in jail,” the uncle said. “He’s like a fish that wiggled his way off a hook… Hopefully he won’t be able to get a police job in the United States. Because he’s a poor example of a police officer.”
After the trial, Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, reached a nearly US$3 million settlement with the city to preclude a lawsuit.
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