MAJOR UPDATE BELOW: In order to give the update context we are placing the update at the conclusion of the original outline : In order to give the update context we are placing the update at the conclusion of the original outline

By now everyone is aware of the officer involved shooting of Philando Castile that became a viral BLM activist case as a direct result of his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds (aka Lavish Reynolds) live-streaming the aftermath from their vehicle. – BACK STORY HERE –

NOTE: It is critical to remember -as you review the images and the video- optically the live stream was captured as a mirror image. Some video uploads mirror the image, it can be confusing, you have to reset your reference points. Philando Castile was driving, Diamond Reynolds was the passenger.

During the uploaded video narration Ms. Reynolds stated the police officer pulled them over for a broken tail light.

There are several aspects of the narrative as told that didn’t pass the sniff test, however, something about the “tail light” just didn’t seem to make sense. Especially when you consider it was daylight when they were pulled over; and where –in the aftermath media video– it can be noted the tail lights were operable.

Upon further evaluation something is missing. We believe we have identified a very important missing element.

Was there another reason why the police officer would pull them over?

The shooting took place, late afternoon/early evening Wednesday July 6th. [ Remember that, and stay with me ].

The people at GotNews chased down the social media profiles of Diamond and Philando, and unfortunately a familiar set of social behaviors surfaces.

Yes, Philando Castile was a gang member (crips), frequently picturing himself with firearms, cash, drugs and gang signs; and Ms. Diamond also has a colorfully broadcasted social presence. – SEE HERE – (<– lots of images)

The Philando Castile profile is, unfortunately, also typical of other high profile police encounter cases. A little research into recent community activity was warranted to see if anything has happened.

Four days before they were pulled over, and approximately four blocks from where the shooting took place, another firearm incident occurred. A Super USA Convenience Store was robbed at gunpoint at 7:30pm on Friday July 2nd. – SEE HERE –

Accepting the administrative lag from the holiday weekend, the local police requested help from the public on Tuesday July 5th – SEE HERE – by releasing CCTV video images of two armed black males who robbed the convenience store at gunpoint (emphasis mine):

(Local News) […] According to a press release from the St. Anthony Police Department, which contracts for police service in Lauderdale, the two robbed the Super USA store in the 2400 block of Larpenteur Avenue around 7:30 p.m., taking cash from the register and cartons of Newport cigarettes.

No employees were injured during the robbery said St. Anthony Police Chief Jon Mangseth.

St. Anthony police, with help from Roseville Police Department officers and St. Paul Police Department K9 officers, set up a perimeter around the store, Mangseth said, and briefly searched the area.

Mangseth said K9s tracked the suspects to a nearby apartment parking lot where the trail ended. He said it’s believed the men left the area in a vehicle from the parking lot. (link)

The media are then provided descriptions of the two male suspects. We’ll call them USA1 and USA2 (the convenience store was USA).

Suspect USA1 BELOW

Suspect USA1: “Employees described one suspect to police as a black man with longer than shoulder-length dreadlocks, who wore blue jeans, a green plaid long-sleeved shirt, dark-color shoes with white highlights, glasses and a baseball cap printed with marijuana leaves, the release says. He may have had a mustache”. (link)

Suspect USA2 Below

Suspect USA2: The other suspect was described as a black man with shoulder-length dreadlocks, who wore tan pants, tan shoes with white soles, a green jacket, a green baseball cap and glasses, the release says. He also had some of his hair pulled into a bun through the strap on the back of his hat and had a small mustache and facial hair on his chin. (link)

(Apologies for the graphic picture) Ears are like fingerprints, they are used to match suspects to captured images. The physical description of suspect #2 (USA2), the gunman during the July 2nd robbery, fits the physical description of Mr. Philando Castile on July 6th to a tee:

A black man

shoulder-length dreadlocks

and glasses

hair pulled into a bun

small mustache and facial hair on his chin

(Pictured Mr. Philando Castile )

Now, why does this matter? Well, the July 6th police stop of the car with Mr. Castile and Ms. Reynolds was in the general vicinity of the previous SuperUSA convenience store armed robbery. The stop was also at the same general time of day. The stop was also the day after the police department released the CCTV footage of the suspects.

Would it change the overall impression of events if the officer:

….was not simply pulling over a random vehicle identified with a broken tail light (claim of Ms. Reynolds); but rather the officer was pulling over a vehicle containing a B.O.L.O driver who fit the exact profile of an armed robbery suspect a few days earlier?

Wouldn’t it be entirely plausible for a rather concerned police officer to be additionally, well, twitchy perhaps, about a possible armed robbery suspect -pulled over- who identifies he is armed inside the vehicle, and then makes an unanticipated movement toward….

Well, I think you get the overall thesis.

Officer Background Audio:

Officer:…”I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hand off it.” Reynolds: “He had, you told him to get his ID sir, his driver’s license. Please don’t tell me he’s dead”…

@cameron_dehart Mr. Castile never applied for a permit to carry with our office. Therefore we did not issue his permit. — Ramsey Sheriff (MN) (@RamseySheriff) July 7, 2016

You decide.

And remember…

UPDATE 7/8/16 3:00pm EDT:

KARE11 News has just presented police radio communication that confirms this exact set of facts and thesis. –READ HERE– The officers have also been identified:

[…] We have verified that the license plate mentioned by police in the recording matches the plate of the car Castile was driving. The location the officer gives also corresponds to the locations of the traffic stop. “I’m going to stop a car,” the officer says on the recording. “I’m going to check IDs. I have reason to pull it over.” “The two occupants just look like people that were involved in a robbery,” the officer says. “The driver looks more like one of our suspects, just ‘cause of the wide set nose,” the officer continues. A minute and a half later, the recording captures the first report that there was a shooting. (read more)

It appears the reason to pull over the vehicle was exactly what our research into the shooting indicated. Additionally here’s information on the police officers:

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The officers involved in the fatal shooting Wednesday night of 32-year-old Philando Castile have been identified, and investigators say there is a squad car video of the incident.

According a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Officer Jeronimo Yanez fired the fatal shots and Officer Joseph Kauser assisted in the traffic stop. Both have been with the St. Anthony Police Department for four years, and both are on the standard administrative leave.

Investigators with the BCA say they’re reviewing squad car video of the shooting, and will be interviewing witnesses. St. Anthony Police Officers don’t wear body cameras. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will submit its findings to the Ramsey County Attorney “without recommendation.”

According to the press release, officers Yanez and Kauser conducted a traffic stop at 9:05 p.m. Wednesday night near Larpenter Avenue West and Fry Street.

Officer Yanez approached the driver’s side, where Castile was sitting, and Officer Kauser approached the passenger side, where Diamond Reynolds was sitting.

At one point in the stop, BCA officials say Officer Yanez fired his weapon multiple times, striking Castile. Reynolds then streamed the aftermath live on Facebook, which quickly went viral. (read more)