Ramsey County Attorney John Choi has asked a veteran attorney with roots in St. Paul’s Rondo community to join his office as a special prosecutor in the inquiry into the death of Philando Castile.
Don Lewis, who has experience in civil desegregation, criminal defense and other practices of law will be “integral” to the investigation, although Choi has not yet decided whether he will present the case to a grand jury. Choi also said that he cannot completely defer the case to a special prosecutor, as members of the community have asked.
“I understand that there is distrust of the system and some may question the ability of a prosecutor to hold police accountable when we rely on them to present cases to our office,” Choi said. “However, if I handed this case off to any other person outside of the duties and authority of my office I would not only be abdicating my responsibility but potentially creating mistrust.”
However, he said incorporating Lewis into his team brings an independent special prosecutor without law enforcement interests, and will provide “transparency and confidence for the public.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the July 6 shooting, and hasn’t said that the investigation is completed. If previous officer-involved shootings are any indication, it’s unlikely that such an investigation would be completed in three weeks.
When the BCA investigation is completed, it will be forwarded to Choi’s office for review for possible criminal charges against the St. Anthony police officer, Jeronimo Yanez, who killed Castile, 32, during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4-year-old daughter were in the car at the time. Reynolds broadcast the shooting’s aftermath live on Facebook via cellphone.
Soon after Castile was shot, Choi held a news conference in which he called for a “prompt and thorough” investigation into the incident. But he hasn’t said what route he’ll use to determine whether charges should be brought against the officer.
“I believe there are benefits to doing so,” Choi said at the news conference of the grand jury process. “However, I will decide how best to proceed at a later time.”
More than 6,000 people have signed an online petition urging Choi to turn the case over to a special prosecutor.
Last March, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman eliminated the long-standing use of a grand jury in officer-involved shootings. Activists had pushed him to forgo the grand jury after Jamar Clark was fatally shot by Minneapolis Police last November.
Grand jury proceedings are private, and the activists wanted more transparency. Freeman decided not to charge the two officers in that case, upsetting activists.
