I WILL REMIND YOU OF THAT WHEN
WE GET INTO THE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS.
LET'S START WITH THE REMARKS
FROM THE FAMILY ATTORNEY.
GOOD AFTERNOON.
WELL, OBVIOUSLY TODAY WE ARE
DISAPPOINTED WITH THE JURY'S
VERDICT.
AM I CLEAR?
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THIS
MUST FEEL LIKE FOR THE FAMILY
OF PHILANDO CASTILE AND HIS
FRIENDS AND ALL THOSE THAT
LOVED HIM AND FOR DIAMOND
REYNOLDS.
I'M SAD FOR THEM.
AND I REALLY BELIEVE THAT AS A
COMMUNITY, WE SHOULD PRAY FOR
THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUFFERED
SO MUCH AS A PART OF ALL OF
THIS.
AND I REALLY ASK THAT OUR
COMMUNITY HAS ALL OF THE
EMPATHY AND THE SYMPATHY FOR
THEM.
YOU KNOW, OUR POSITION
THROUGHOUT THIS CASE WAS THAT
PHILANDO CASTILE DID NOTHING
THAT JUSTIFIED THE TAKING OF
HIS LIFE.
FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT
WE WERE TRYING TO PROVE WAS
THAT PHILANDO CASTILE WAS
SIMPLY FOLLOWING OFFICER
YANEZ'S COMMANDS AND ORDERS TO
RETRIEVE HIS LICENSE.
AND JUST AS HE SAID, THE
MOMENTS BEFORE BEING SHOT AND
AS HE WAS LAID DYING IN HIS
CAR, HE SAID HE WASN'T REACHING
FOR IT.
AND WE GAVE IT OUR BEST SHOT
AND I AM SO PROUD OF THE TEAM
THAT WE ASSEMBLED AS A PART OF
THIS.
BUT WE REALLY DID.
AND WE PUT OUR HEART AND SOUL
INTO THIS.
AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE
DISAPPOINTED, I'M SPEAKING FOR
THIS ENTIRE GROUP.
WE PUT OUR HEART AND SOUL INTO
THAT.
WHEN OFFICER YANEZ CHOSE TO USE
LETHAL FORCE AS WE SAID THERE
WAS NO IMMINENT THREAT AND WE
TRIED OUR BEST TO PROVE THAT HE
DIDN'T SEE A GUN AND THAT
PHILANDO CASTILE WAS NOT
PULLING IT OUT.
THE TOUGHEST PART FOR ME WITH
RESPECT TO THOSE FACTS HE WAS
SO RESPECTFUL IN HOW HE
DISCLOSED HE HAD THE FIREARM.
HE SAID SIR, I HAVE TO TELL YOU
DIE HAVE A FIREARM ON ME AND HE
WENT BEYOND WHAT THE LAW
REQUIRES, HE WAS COMPLIANT AND
NOT RESISTING BUT THE JURY
UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T SEE IT
THAT WAY.
ANOTHER THING THAT WE WERE
FIGHTING FOR AS PART OF THIS
PARTICULAR CASE WAS WE WERE
FIGHTING FOR THE INTEGRITY OF
THIS PROCESS.
I KNOW THAT THIS CASE WENT
WORLD WIDE, NATIONWIDE.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, AND
BECAUSE OF THE FACEBOOK LIVE
VIDEO AND THE SADNESS OF SEEING
SOMEBODY DIE ON VIDEO, THAT GOT
PEOPLE UPSET AND SAD AND ANGRY
AND THEY WERE DEMANDING THAT
CRIMINAL CHARGES BE FILED
IMMEDIATELY AND ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT IS SO IMPORTANT IN
THE ROLE OF A PROSECUTOR IS FOR
US TO BE MINISTERS OF JUSTICE.
WE DON'T PROSECUTE PEOPLE JUST
BECAUSE WE WANT TO.
ATTORNEY JOHN CHOY SAYING HE
WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE
VERDICT.
HE IS STILL SPEAKING AND WE
WILL GO BACK TO HIM.
THANKS FOR THE FACT
GATHERING TO SUBMIT TO US, THE
PROSECUTORS THAT ULTIMATELY HAD
TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT CRIMINAL CHARGES
WERE WARRANTED AND WE TOOK OUR
TIME AND WE CONSULTED A
NATIONAL USE OF FORCE EXPERT
AND WE WERE THOUGHTFUL AND WE
WERE THOROUGH AND WE HAD GREAT
CONVERSATIONS, IMPORTANT
CONVERSATIONS WITHIN OUR TEAM
ABOUT PROBABLE CAUSE AND
WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD PROVE
THIS CASE AND REASONABLE DOUBT.
WE THOUGHT WE COULD.
THERE WAS POLITICAL PRESSURE BY
THE COMMUNITY, BY THE PUBLIC
COMING DOWN TO US SAYING
RELEASE THAT VIDEO BECAUSE WE
NEED TO SEE IT NOW AND WE
RESISTED BECAUSE THE PROCESS IS
IMPORTANT AND AT THE END OF THE
DAY, THE VIDEO IS EVIDENCE.
SO I AM PROUD OF THE WAY THAT
WE HANDLED THE CHARGING
DECISION, THE INVESTIGATION
BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS
CRITICAL.
AND WE TRIED TO BE TRANSPARENT
AS MUCH AS WE COULD.
BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
INVESTIGATION, WE DID WHAT WE
NEEDED TO DO.
AND THEN AFTER CRIMINAL CHARGES
WERE FILED, WE HAD A ROBUST
ADVERSARIAL PROCESS AND THAT'S
WHAT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM IS.
IT IS AN ADVERSARIAL PROCESS
WHERE THE PROSECUTION THINKS TO
PROVE THE CASE BEYOND A
REASONBLE DOUBT AND DEFENSE
COUNSEL TO THE BEST OF THEIR
ABILITIES HOL OUR FEET TO THE
FIRE TO MAKE SURE WE UPHOLD THE
RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED.
AND I BELIEVE THAT PROCESS CAME
TO A COMPLETION TODAY.
I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE
TRIAL TEAM THAT WAS INVOLVED.
I HAVE JUST BEEN VERY IMPRESSED
WITH THEIR EFFORT AND THEIR
DILIGENCE AND ALL OF THEIR
GREAT WORK ON THIS PARTICULAR
CASE.
RICK DOESER HOF AND PAYING
ROBINSON AND JEFF PAULSON AND
RAOUL RASHAD, THEY DID
REMARKABLE WORK.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE UNITED
STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
BECAUSE WE HAD ASKED FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE VERY, VERY EARLY ON.
AND THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH
MONITORING THIS INVESTIGATION
BUT ALSO OFFERING JEFF PAULSON
AND I WANT TO THANK FORMER
ATTORNEY ANDY LOUGER AND OUR
CURRENT ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL
GREG BURKELER AND JOHN LEWIS
AND JOHN COREMEL THAT HELPED US
WITH THE CHARGING DECISION AND
I ALSO WANT TO THANK DEFENSE
COUNSEL AS WELL BECAUSE THEY
AGGRESSIVELY REPRESENTED THEIR
INTERESTS OF THEIR CLIENT AND
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF
THIS ADVERSARIAL PROCESS.
THIS CASE AND REALLY THIS IS
IMPORTANT POINT THAT I WANT TO
MAKE.
YOU KNOW THIS CASE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN ABOUT THE ACTIONS AND THE
INACTIONS OF OFFICER YANEZ.
THIS IS NEVER BEEN AN
INDICTMENT AS LAW ENFORCEMENT
AS A WHOLE.
JUST LIKE IN ANY PROFESSION,
ONE PERSON'S MISTAKE DOESN'T
MEAN THE PROCESSION IS BAD.
AND I AM VERY SADDENED BY THIS
DIVIDE THAT I'M SEEING THAT IS
HAPPENING WITH THE COMMUNITY
TRUST AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE
REALLY, REALLY NEED TO WORK ON
BECAUSE I AS SOMEBODY THAT IS
ALWAYS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND I STILL AM
TODAY, THE WORK THAT THEY DO IS
SO CRITICAL TO OUR PUBLIC
SAFETY.
THEY DO THINGS THAT NONE OF US,
MANY OF US IN THIS ROOM WOULD
NEVER IMAGINE DOING SO WE
WORK.
I DON'T DOUBT THAT OFFICER
YANEZ IS A DECENT PERSON AS
PEOPLE TESTIFIED IN COURT.
BUT HE MADE A HORRIBLE MISTAKE
FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AND THAT'S
WHAT THIS CASE WAS ABOUT.
GOOD PEOPLE CAN ALSO MAKE
MISTAKES.
AND I KNOW THAT IF HE COULD, HE
WOULD TAKE BACK WHAT HE DID AND
WE ALL WISH AND HE WOULD, TOO,
THIS NEVER HAPPENED.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN'T.
YOU KNOW AMERICAN SOCIETY HAS
TRADITIONALLY PLACED DEFERENCE
TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND RIGHTLY
SO.
IT IS ARTICULATE IN GRAHAM
VERSUS CONNER THAT WE TAKE INTO
ACCOUNT THAT THE JOB OF AN
OFFICER IS A DANGEROUS ONE AND
THEY HAVE TO MAKE SPLIT SECOND
DECISIONS.
AND THAT THERE ARE SITUATIONS
THAT CHANGE RAPIDLY.
BUT WHEN WE USE AND WE EVALUATE
AN OFFICER'S USE OF FORCE, WE
LOOK TO THAT CASE AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO DO SO BUT WE JUST
COULD NOT WITH RESPECT TO TO
THE FACTS OF THIS CASE.
NOW THE HARD PART AND MOST
IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT I HAVE
TO SAY TO THE PUBLIC AND THIS
IS A PART THAT I HOPE ALL OF
YOU WILL INCLUDE IN YOUR
REPORTING, AS HARD AS THIS IS,
FOR SOME MATTERS OF OUR
COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT
THIS VERDICT, IT WAS THE
PRODUCT OF A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
INVESTIGATION AND THOROUGH
PROSECUTION REVIEW AND THE
TRIAL BY A JURY OF RAMSEY
COUNTY RESIDENTS, THEIR
DECISION MUST BE RESPECTED.
BECAUSE THAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL
PREMISE OF THE RULE OF LAW.
I WANT TO THANK JUDGE LARRY FOR
ENSURING A FAIR TRIAL AND I
KNOW THAT THIS CASE GENERATED
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND
THOSE CONVERSATIONS REALLY MUST
CONTINUE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR
OFFICERS AND RESIDENTS.
SO THAT SOMETHING NEVER
HAPPENS AGAIN.
RAMSEY COUNTY ATTORNEY JOHN
CHOY REACT TOTAL VERDICT.
HE TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY GAVE
IT THEIR BEST SHOT AND PUT
THEIR HEART AND SOUL IN THE
CASE.