Minnesota Officer Who Shot Castile Identified as Jeronimo Yanez

St. Paul, MN — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified Officer Jeronimo Yanez as the man who fatally shot Philando Castile Wednesday night during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights.

Yanez and Officer Joseph Kauser, who was also at the traffic stop, have both been with the St. Anthony Police Department for four years. Both are on standard administrative leave.

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Patch acquired a photo of Yanez from the 2014 St. Anthony Police Annual Report. He is seen taking part in Law Enforcement Memorial Day.

The Star Tribune reported that Yanez, 28, lives in South St. Paul with his wife and infant child. He graduated from Minnesota State University in Mankato in 2010 with a degree in law enforcement.

The St. Anthony Police Department has 23 officers, eight of whom are paid for through contracts with Lauderdale and Falcon Heights.

Falcon Heights, a suburb of about 5,300, has contracted with St. Anthony for police services for at least 10 years. The department’s interim chief said there hadn’t been an officer-involved shooting in the department for 30 years.

St. Anthony Police Department officers do not wear body cameras. St. Anthony has squad car dashcams, but it’s not yet known whether they captured Wednesday’s shooting.

According to the BCA, Yanez approached the vehicle from the driver’s side and Kauser from the passenger side. At one point during the interaction, Yanez discharged his weapon, striking Castile multiple times. No one else was injured. A gun was recovered at the scene.

Yanez then radioed a request for an ambulance. There were two passengers in the vehicle, Diamond Reynolds and her young daughter.

Additional responding personnel from the Roseville Police Department and St. Paul Fire Department removed Castile from the vehicle and provided medical attention until the ambulance arrived. Castile was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Law enforcement personnel transported Reynolds and her daughter to the Roseville Police Department, where Reynolds provided a statement to investigators about the incident. Afterward, a Roseville police officer brought Reynolds home.

The BCA investigation is ongoing. Interviews with witnesses are ongoing, and several videos, including squad car video of the incident, have been collected as evidence.

The BCA requests that any member of the public who witnessed the shooting contact the BCA at (651) 793-7000.

Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will turn its findings over to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office without recommendation for review under Minnesota statutes.

Image via Lauderdale Police Department