(ASSOCIATED PRESS) Philando Castile, the 32 year old killed by a suburban St. Paul police officer on July 6, was stopped at least 52 times in recent years and given citations for minor offenses including speeding and driving without a muffler.
He was assessed at least $6,588 in fines and fees, although court records show more than half of the total 86 violations were dismissed.
Was Castile an especially bad driver or just unlucky? Or was he targeted by officers who single out black motorists like him for such stops?
The answer may never be known, but Castile’s stop for a broken tail light Wednesday ended with him fatally shot by a suburban St. Paul police officer and his girlfriend livestreaming the chilling aftermath. The shooting has added a new impetus to a national debate on racial profiling.
