Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded late Thursday to a video Minnesota resident Diamond Reynolds posted Wednesday of her boyfriend dying from four shots he sustained from a police officer.
“The images we’ve seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking, and they shine a light on the fear that millions of members of our community live with every day. While I hope we never have to see another video like Diamond’s, it reminds us why coming together to build a more open and connected world is so important — and how far we still have to go,” Zuckerberg wrote.
On Wednesday evening, Philando Castile was fatally shot during a traffic stop over a tail light. Castile was in the car and informed the officer he had a concealed carry permit and was armed. As he reached for his wallet and license, the officer shot the man, claiming fear he was reaching for a weapon. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, was in the car with her 4-year-old daughter and videotaped the scene as Castile died.
“Please don’t tell me this, Lord. Please, Jesus, don’t tell me that he’s gone. Please don’t tell me that he’s gone,” Reynolds said in the video, which she streamed over Facebook Live. “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.”
The protests over the shooting continue.
