Philando Castile's Girlfriend Diamond Reynolds Settles Shooting Case For $800,000

Diamond Reynolds will get $800,000 from St. Anthony City Council, Minnesota, and the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) as part of a settlement for the Philando Castile lawsuit.

Reynolds, 28, was in the car with Castile when he was fatally shot by a St. Anthony police officer on July 6, 2016. Her then 4-year-old daughter was on the backseat when the incident happened.

According to a statement released by Reynolds and her attorney, the city of St. Anthony paid $675,000 in the settlement while LMCIT on behalf of the city of Rosenville paid the remaining $125,000.

The settlement resolves Reynolds’ claims of “emotional distress and false arrest,” a statement on St. Anthony’s website stated.

According to a report by KMSP-TV, a Fox-affiliated television station, City Manager Mark Casey stated that the settlement with Reynolds would only be covered up to $5000 by the city’s insurance as a substantial amount of St. Anthony’s $3 million insurance policy was spent on a settlement deal with Castile’s mother Valerie Castile, who received a $3 million settlement from the city in June.

He also said the remaining $670,000 will covered by the tax payers.

A city council member, Randy Stille, said, “In order to further avoid further burden and expense to the City of St Anthony Village and to a bring to close all litigation relating to the tragic death of Philando Castile, the city has determined the approval of the settlement is in the best interest of St. Anthony Village.”

In her statement, Reynolds stated that the settlement represented the fact that what happened on July 6, 2016 was “wrong”.

She also went on to say that money wouldn’t “change what happened” or even “bring Philando back”. She said that she now wishes that after the end of this “chapter” she can move on with her life.

According to a report by WCCO-TV, a CBS-affiliated television channel, Castile was shot fatally after he was stopped at a red light on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights on July 6 2016, in an incident which was described as a police officer-involved shooting.

Reynolds began livestreaming on Facebook moments after the shooting. The video has been viewed millions of times.

In the video, Reynolds is heard saying that Castile reached for his wallet and informed the police officers that he had a firearm with him along with a conceal-and-carry permit. She then said that the officer shot Castile four times.

One bullet passed within inches of Reynolds’ daughter who was in the back seat.

The video also showed the officer saying, “I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand out.”

Though Reynolds and her daughter were not injured, they were detained for sometime by Roseville police and questioned by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Those issues figured into the settlement, according to the city’s statement.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who shot Castile and was accused of second-degree manslaughter, was acquitted in June. Yanez testified that Castile pulled out his gun despite being commanded not to do so.