Facebook Video of Man's Dying Moments Shocks Country After Police Shooting

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton asked for an independent federal investigation of the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile that took place Wednesday night during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. His death made intimate witnesses of the millions of people who saw his bloody body, heard his moans and witnessed his final breaths in a Facebook Live video recorded by his girlfriend in the front seat of his car.

Dayton was immediately moved to contact the White House.

"This morning, I spoke by phone with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to request that the U.S. Department of Justice begin an immediate independent federal investigation into this matter," Dayton said in a statement.

The department said it would monitor the state investigation and offer assistance, rather than conduct its own investigation.

Castile's shooting sparked protests in St. Paul, Chicago and New York City on Thursday. A protest in Dallas ended in chaos as snipers opened fire, killing four officers.

• See: Snipers Kill 4 Dallas Officers at Protest Rally Over Police Killings

“Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white?” Dayton later asked at a news conference. “I don’t think it would have.”

• See Also: Philando Castile Shooting: 5 Things To Know

Castile, 32, was reaching into his pocket in response to an officer's request for his license, according to his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was in the car with him.

Castile, who was stopped for a broken taillight, mentioned to the officer that he had a permit for a concealed weapon. His girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter was sitting in the back seat. The officer then opened fire, Reynolds said.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the officer as Jeronimo Yanez, who fired multiple times. Yanez and Joseph Kauser, another officer at the traffic stop, were placed on paid administrative leave.

Yanez and Kauser have both been with the St. Anthony Police Department for four years. The BCA is investigating the shooting.

The video shows Yanez screaming that he told Castile not to move, while the girlfriend replies, "Please officer, don’t tell me that you just did this to him. You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir."

Reynolds' realization that her boyfriend is dying next to her is agonizing. Yanez, meanwhile, is clearly distressed and shouts, "I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hand off it."

• How to Get News Alerts and Newsletters from Patch

President Barack Obama commented at length on the shooting, saying "all Americans should be deeply troubled" by what happened.

"I'd just ask folks to step back and think: What if this happened to somebody in your family?" he said. "How would you feel? To be concerned about these issues is not political correctness, it's just being American and wanting to live up to our best and highest ideals."

Castile was a nutrition services supervisor in the St. Paul Public Schools. His employer said he was well liked by students and his co-workers. He graduated from Central High in 2001.

The school system issued a statement Thursday:

"Colleagues describe him as a team player who maintained great relationships with staff and students alike. He had a cheerful disposition and his colleagues enjoyed working with him. He was quick to greet former co-workers with a smile and hug."

In an interview with CNN, Castile's mother, Valerie Castile, said her son was "trying to do the right things, and live accordingly by the law, he was killed by the law."

She had taught her son to be cautious when encountering members of law enforcement, she said. “If you get stopped by the police, comply,” the mother said she had told her son. “Comply, comply, comply.”

“My son was a law-abiding citizen, and he did nothing wrong,” she said. “He’s no thug.”

People who saw the live stream video the night of the shooting called his mother, and she rushed to the place where her son was shot. She told CNN police prevented her from speaking with Reynolds.

The video of the shooting aftermath, which ends with a police officer taking Reynolds into custody and tossing her phone to the ground, has been widely shared on social media and aired on television repeatedly.

In the video, Reynolds says they were pulled over by police for a broken taillight.

"They killed my boyfriend," Reynolds is heard saying. "He’s licensed, he’s carried, so he’s licensed to carry. He was trying to get out his ID and his wallet out his pocket, and he let the officer know that he was, that he had a firearm, and he was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm."

Reynolds was released from police custody at daybreak and officers drove her home. She spoke at a press conference later.

"My daughter told me, 'Don't cry,'" Reynolds told reporters. "My daughter will be scarred for life."

A protest began outside of the governor's mansion in St. Paul at 2 a.m. Thursday and has continued throughout the day. Many protesters held signs and banners reading "Black Lives Matter."

One speaker addressed the white people there and asked them to "use your privilege to support black-owned businesses." Another called for elected officials, including Dayton, to be voted out of office.

Richardson, who identifies as a supporter but not a member of Black Lives Matter, told Patch he believes systematic racism and classism are among the primary factors that contributed to the death of Castile.

Asked whether he was satisfied with how the governor addressed the protesters Thursday morning, Richardson said his statements were "as appropriate as any response could be" given the short amount of time that had passed since the shooting occurred.

Richardson also added that he is optimistic race relations and equality under the law in the United States will improve.

The shooting occurred the same day that the U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Alton Sterling, who died in a police shooting in Baton Rouge.

"To admit that we've got a serious problem in no way contradicts our respect and appreciation for the vast majority of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every single day," the president said in a statement.

Also on Patch

Video: Ohio Police Officer Nakia Jones is Outraged By Police Shootings and Racism

Nakia Jones is a 20-year veteran police officer, and she is fed up with police shootings.

The shootings pushed people into the streets in protest, and they were joined in spirit by black celebrities.

In Manhattan, about 1,000 protesters from Black Lives Matter gathered at Union Square to demonstrate against the killings and clogged Fifth Avenue during a rush-hour march through midtown. In Chicago, several hundred protesters took to the streets, with some marching down Michigan Avenue and another group shutting down the Dan Ryan Expressway at rush hour.

Meanwhile, in downtown Dallas, shots were fired during a Black Lives Matter demonstration on Main Streetand two police officers were wounded. The crowd scattered, and police were looking for a possible sniper late Thursday.

The singer Beyonce posted a letter to her website Thursday.

We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities.

It is up to us to take a stand and demand that they "stop killing us."

We don't need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives.

We're going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or any violent action by those who are sworn to protect us should consistently go unpunished.

Drake the rapper said this: “No one begins their life as a hashtag. Yet the trend of being reduced to one continues.” The hashtag #PhilandoCastile was trending on Twitter.

Photos: William Bornhoft/Patch.com