Attorneys for Officer Jeronimo Yanez made last-minute arguments critical to his self-defense strategy Tuesday, the contentious first day of trial in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile.
Before the judge could swear in the pool of 50 potential jurors, defense attorneys argued to toss out any mention of Castile's permit to carry the handgun he had at the time he was shot. Yanez's team also wants to examine whether Castile lied about his alleged marijuana use.
But Ramsey County District Court Judge William H. Leary III didn't immediately rule on the permit issue, and the marijuana use remains open for debate.
Yanez, 29, a St. Anthony police officer, is charged with second-degree manslaughter for shooting Castile, 32, and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm for endangering Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her daughter, then 4, who were in the car. Reynolds used her cellphone camera to live-stream the shooting's aftermath on Facebook.
Yanez appeared in court Tuesday morning in a gray suit, white shirt and purple tie, and used public entrances to the courthouse for the first time.
Defense attorney Earl Gray told the court that in a transcript provided by prosecutors, Reynolds made three references to Castile's permit to carry. He moved to strike them from the trial, which is expected to last three weeks.
If the state wants to admit Reynolds' statements, Gray said, the defense should be allowed to examine whether Castile lied about his alleged marijuana use on the permit application. Prosecutors previously pushed back against that line of questioning.
"They're opening the door," Gray said.