Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association

MNAPABA Organizational Statement on Ramsey County Attorney John J. Choi's Charging Decision in the Philando Castile Case

Wed, November 16, 2016 4:58 PM | Benjamin Kwan
MNAPABA Organizational Statement on Ramsey County Attorney John J. Choi's Charging Decision in the Philando Castile Case
November 16, 2016

Ramsey County Attorney John J. Choi announced his decision to charge the St. Anthony police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile on July 6, 2016.

This morning, Choi's office charged St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez with second-degree manslaughter, among other charges involving the officer’s discharge of his gun. Choi said that under Minnesota law and Supreme Court precedent, the deadly use of force in Castile's death by Officer Yanez was not justified.

The Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA) stands in solidarity with Choi, a longtime MNAPABA member. Choi’s decision to charge Officer Yanez is sure to be heavily scrutinized both locally and nationally as our country’s ongoing dialogue about race and justice reform continues. As Choi’s friends and colleagues in the Minnesota Asian Pacific American legal community, we have every confidence in his ability to prosecute this case with the utmost in fidelity to the law and with justice as his guiding star.

“I am an elected official but I can’t act like one,” Choi said Wednesday morning when a reporter asked about what kind of message he had for community members—both those who had hoped for this decision and those who had not. Choi said his job was to make a decision based on the law and the facts.

MNAPABA respects Choi’s decision. MNAPABA also supports the legal process running its course so that justice can be achieved.

Mailing Address:
MNAPABA c/o Minnesota State Bar Association
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 380, Minneapolis, MN 55402
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