Attorneys for the St. Anthony police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile are seeking access to any state evidence that might help or hurt their case.
In a motion filed Friday, defense attorneys asked the court to order prosecutors to “disclose both evidence impeaching and favorable to the defense.”
Specifically, Jeronimo Yanez’s team of attorneys requested evidence indicating any bias of witnesses the state might call in the case as well as all information pertaining to whether a witness was under the influence at the time of their relevant observations, the motion reads.
It also asks the state to disclose evidence related to witnesses and Castile’s past criminal activity, including any cases that may have been pending against Castile at the time he was fatally shot by Yanez.
The order further seeks all information about prosecutors’ retention of Jeffrey Noble as an adviser in its decision to charge Yanez in Castile’s death.
Noble retired from law enforcement in 2012 as deputy chief of police in Irvine, Calif.
After reviewing the case, he found that “the totality of the circumstances indicate that Yanez’s use of deadly force against Castile during the July 6 stop was not necessary, was objectively unreasonable and was inconsistent with generally accepted police practices,” according to the criminal complaint filed against Yanez.
Another motion filed recently asked the court to order the state to turn over all statements, notes and computer entries made by Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents that are not included in the case report. It requested the same of the Department of Justice in its audit of the St. Anthony police department.
The St. Anthony police officer was charged in Ramsey County District Court last November with one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm in the incident.
Yanez — who shot and killed Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights on the evening of July 6 — is the first Minnesota officer in modern memory to be charged in such an incident.
The shooting gained national attention when Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was with him in the car at the time, began live-streaming the aftermath on Facebook. Protests over police shootings broke out across the Twin Cities.
Yanez’s attorneys have said he feared for his life after seeing that Castile had a gun on him when he opened fire into the car.
The defense also has said in legal motions that Castile had THC in his system at the time of his death and is thus culpable for what happened.
Reynolds was recently charged with second- and third-degree assault for allegedly attacking a woman with a hammer. Her attorney has said she is innocent and intends to fight the charges.
The motions were two of about 10 expected to be filed in Ramsey County District Court by the end of the day Tuesday, according to Paul Engh, one of Yanez’s three attorneys.
None of the remaining eight were available for public review by 4:30 p.m.
One forthcoming motion seeks a change of venue for the trial in the high-profile case, Engh said.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office declined to comment on the motions.
Yanez’s next court hearing will take place April 4.