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Minnesota governor 'doesn't think' Castile would have been shot if he were white

Minnesota governor 'doesn't think' Castile would have been shot if he were white
Posted at 5:23 PM, Jul 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-07 17:29:35-04

Gov. Mark Dayton says he is "heartbroken for Minnesota" over the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer in a Minneapolis suburb.

Dayton told reporters Thursday that "nobody should be shot and killed in Minnesota for a traffic taillight." He also added that Castile might still be alive today if not for the color of his skin.

"Would this have happened if the driver and the passengers had been white? I don't think so," Dayton said.

Philando Castile had been pulled over for an apparent broken tail light when he was shot by the officer Wednesday in the suburb of Falcon Heights.

The Democratic governor says "justice must be served," but that he wants the state investigation to take its course.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating. State Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman says investigators were working Wednesday afternoon to interview the officer who fired the shots.