Philando Castile’s Family Receives $3 Million Settlement

A little less than a week after Philando Castile’s killer, Officer Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted of all charges in the traffic stop shooting, Castile’s mother was able to reach a $3 million settlement with the city of St. Anthony, Minn. After the criminal trial was resolved, all involved parties quickly shifted over to the civil trial with the intention of providing closure as quickly as possible.

The city’s official statement reads:

The death of Philando Castile is a tragedy for his family and for our community. The parties moved expeditiously to resolve potential civil claims … in order to allow the process of healing to move forward for the Castile family, for the people of St. Anthony Village, and for all those impacted by the death of Philando Castile throughout the United States. No amount of money could ever replace Philando. With resolution of the claims the family will continue to deal with their loss through the important work of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. The important work of healing our community continues.

The settlement provides a very small silver lining in what has otherwise been a frustrating and disheartening trial. It seems very clear that criminal activity occurred in the moments leading up to Castile’s death, and the large settlement seems to at least partially acknowledge this. It’s clear we still have a long way to go as a country, but it’s at least somewhat encouraging to see even a slight admission of wrongdoing.

The settlement comes just a week after a similar civil suit settlement was reached in the Michael Brown shooting case in Ferguson, Mo.