Officer Jeronimo Yanez Accepts Small Payout From Department To Quit Police Work Forever

Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted in the shooting of Philando Castile and reached a settlement with the police department that let him go.

Jeronimo Yanez, Officer Who Shot Philando Castile Reaches Settlement

Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile will receive a payout settlement to leave the suburban police department, according to Time.com.

Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the $48,500 settlement in a lump sum. The St. Anthony suburb will also pay Officer Yanez for up to 600 hours of unused personal leave time. The agreement doesn’t specify how much accrued time the police officer had. Officer Yanez, 29, earned $72,600 at the time of the July 6, 2016 shooting, according to Time.com.

After quitting the department, the officer listed his home for sale, according to CBS Minnesota.

Officer Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in June. After the verdict, the presiding judge in the Castile trial wrote a letter to the jury stating that the verdict “was fully supported by a fair interpretation of the evidence and the law you were obligated to apply,” according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Leary added: “The state’s failure to prove any of the required elements of the charge required that you, the jury, return a verdict of not guilty.”

Still, the day the verdict was announced the city said it would be “best served” if Officer Yanez was no longer on the police force and that he would never be returning to work. Time.com reported that that June 30 agreement ends all employment rights for Officer Yanez.

“Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated,” it said in a statement reported by Time.com. “A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The City concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed.”

Officer Yanez cannot bring any lawsuits against the city under the agreement.

Philando Castile was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Castile told Officer Yanez he had a gun and was shot after the officer told him repeatedly not to reach for the gun. Castile never told the officer what he was reaching for as he ignored the officer’s orders. It was later determined that Castile was high on marijuana at the time of the shooting, and the defense said that left him unable to follow Officer Yanez’s commands.