Why the controversy over the Philando Castile verdict?

Because the experience of some citizens is very different from others, and the presence of a gun can mean life or death when there is a misunderstanding.

Your life is very different than that of a man of color, and it's easy to understand why you might see how this went wrong. If you constantly were pulled over for looking like someone else, you wouldn't be asking this question. It's a very different life, and assumptions are made by people who have preconceived ideas, no matter how well trained they are - we all bring our own experiences to a situation, and the officer felt the motorist was reaching for the gun- that he had announced was in the car.

As long as police and citizens are human, misunderstandings are going to occur. Your question proves it. Everyone sees something different, depending upon the experiences they have in their own lives. The officer thought the motorist was about to shoot, and that fit the criteria for a justified action. The motorist was doing what they should have done as well.

At least, that is what is in my experience of hearing about the incident. I could be wrong. But I also had a co-worker who was stopped by police and slammed face down on the pavement for looking similar to a bank robber being sought- he was in a red car, and he was black. Not the right make and model, and not the guy. Out for lunch from a high tech firm.

So. There but for the grace of God go we.

It's so shocking because he should obviously have been charged with murder. I can not believe that there is video evidence of him shooting and killing someone and a jury still came to the conclusion that he did nothing wrong.

etaet

All of these cases are very tough. A big issue is that the police involved are poorly trained and ill-equipped to handle the job. It is hard to convict the individual, when the system is guilty. However, there should be some recourse for victims. At the least, this could have been involuntary manslaughter.

Criminal proceeding and civil proceedings have very different requirements of proof.

Many people who comment only have legal experience from what they see on TV and from what they hear from friends.

All you have to do is look at how quickly protests begin and it seems clear many people will create controversy over any police shooting, even before knowing the facts.

It's the ignorance of eveybody.