WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A police officer opened fire on Castile on Wednesday evening. Later, the 32-year-old man died at a hospital in the city of Falcon Heights.
"The Justice Department is aware of the incident and is assessing the situation," the spokesperson stated as quoted by NPR radio.
Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and their daughter were in the car at the time of the shooting.
According to a video made by Reynolds during the incident, the car had been pulled over for a broken tail light. An officer asked Castile for his driver's license, and the man informed the officer that he had a firearm and a permit for it. The officer then shot Castile four times, Raynolds says.
This incident follows a Tuesday shooting of another African-American man, Alton Sterling, by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which prompted protests.
