Stating that his case has become an “omnipresent spectacle,” Jeronimo Yanez’s defense attorneys are asking for his trial against manslaughter charges in Philando Castile’s death to be moved out of the Twin Cities metro area.

The request is rooted in what the St. Anthony police officer’s team of attorneys describe as an onslaught of “slanted” media coverage that has dominated local newspapers and TV coverage since Yanez fatally shot Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights on July 6, according to a legal memo filed late Tuesday seeking a change of venue.

It goes on to suggest that the Blacks Lives Matter protests that followed, as well as comments made by Gov. Mark Dayton, create a formidable hurdle for Yanez to receive a fair trial in the Twin Cities area.

“The media coverage and protests have never suggested an iota of fault in Mr. Castile’s conduct. That one-sidedness is “potentially prejudicial,” the memo reads. “When viewing coverage as a whole, it’s too easy for a potential juror to believe Officer Yanez arrived at, and then stepped over, the criminal fault line.”

Specifically, the motion says “the media has portrayed Castile as an obedient African American male who has been racially profiled his entire life,” casting the 32-year-old in a “false light” while simultaneously suggesting Yanez, who is Latino, was influenced by Castile’s race when he made the decision to shoot him.

That narrative could disrupt jurors’ ability to impartially weigh the facts, which will show that “Castile … reached for his loaded gun, was told not to, reached, was told not to, reached,” before Yanez, in fear for his life, decided to fatally shoot him, the memo says.

News articles on the officer-involved shooting have appeared daily, sometimes multiple times a day, the memo said. A separate affidavit also filed Tuesday states that 400 articles have appeared in the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune alone.

The memo calls out specific headlines, such as “St. Anthony Police Data shows Disproportionate Arrests of Blacks,” and “Minnesota Police have $1.5 million for Racial Sensitivity Training — But No Training, Yet,” as among the particularly problematic.

It describes blogs and reader comments as “even more outrageous.”

The memo also points the finger at Dayton for making what it describes as unfair and premature comments about the shooting without having read police reports on the incident, talking to an investigator or hearing Yanez’s side of the story.

It goes on to list Dayton’s comments, including this one: “Would this have happened if the driver and passenger were white? I don’t think it would have.”

“After seeing the initial news coverage, our own Governor became biased,” the memo said. “The local jurors, who have read the ongoing deluge, will reach a similar disposition.”

While not specifying where the trial should be moved, the memo suggests Duluth, Hastings, St. Cloud or Brainerd as potential locations.

The memo was one of a flurry of motions and legal documents filed Tuesday. Others asked for the dismissal of the manslaughter charge facing Yanez and that the statement the officer made to state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents about the shooting be suppressed.

Another asks that the “opinion evidence” from Jeffrey Noble be excluded from trial. Noble was consulted by the Ramsey County attorney’s office about whether to file criminal charges against Yanez for his conduct.

Noble retired from law enforcement in 2012 as deputy chief of police with the Irvine, Calif., Police Department.

In addition to manslaughter, Yanez, 28, is charged with two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a weapon.

He pulled Castile over during the evening of July 6 based on suspicion that the black driver looked like a suspect in a recent area armed robbery. Castile’s car also reportedly had a broken taillight.

According to prosecutors, Yanez asked for Castile’s insurance card and driver’s license. Castile provided the insurance card. Then Castile, who was licensed to carry a firearm, told Yanez that he had a gun on him. The shooting quickly followed.

Yanez is the first Minnesota officer in memory to be charged in such an incident.

The shooting gained national attention when Castile’s girlfriend, 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.

In announcing his charging decision in November, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said his review of the evidence indicated Castile “never removed nor tried to remove his handgun from his right pocket, which was a foot deep,” before Yanez shot him.

In fact, during his short interaction with the officer, Castile reportedly told Yanez “I’m not pulling it out,” Choi said at the time.

Yanez’s defense attorneys counter that Castile was reaching for his gun when Yanez fired. They have also said Castile had THC in his system at the time of the shooting, and is therefore culpable in his death.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office declined to comment on the recent filings.

A hearing on the motions will take place April 4.