A police union leader in St Paul denounced the Minnesota governor as “dangerously irresponsible” on Thursday evening for suggesting that an officer who fatally shot a black man was racist.
David Titus, the president of the St Paul Police Federation, sharply criticized governor Mark Dayton for remarks about the killing of Philando Castile, whose death during a traffic stop near St Paul on Wednesday evening was broadcast live online by his girlfriend.
“The governor’s statement insinuates that law enforcement is racist and it’s absolutely inaccurate and inappropriate,” said Titus. “It’s outrageously insulting. One would think that a governor especially would know to wait until the facts are in before making a judgment.”
Dayton said at a press conference earlier that the officer who fired used a level of force “way in excess” of what was necessary. “Would this have happened if the driver and passenger were white?” asked Dayton, a Democrat. “I don’t think it would have. So I’m forced to confront, and I think all of Minnesota is forced to confront, that this kind of racism exists.”
Titus said he had already been inundated with complaints from his members, who were “concerned and upset” about what he called a “dangerously irresponsible statement.” He declined to comment himself about video footage of the shooting, which has caused widespread anger and prompted a request from Dayton for a federal inquiry.
The identity of the police officer who shot Castile has not yet been made public. Officers from his department, St Anthony, belong to the Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) union, which says it represents 5,000 officers from smaller departments in the region.
Sean Gormley, the executive director of LELS, said in a statement that Castile’s death was “a terrible tragedy for all involved” while urging people to respect the officer’s right to due process. “We support an open, thorough and objective investigation that we believe, in time, will provide the answers to the questions we all have,” said Gormley.
Titus said he was concerned that Dayton’s remarks about the officer’s conduct and beliefs threatened to prejudice the investigative process. “I would like to see everyone take a step back and let this play out,” he said.
In May this year Titus alleged that Black Lives Matter activists’ “sole intention is to create friction and upheaval between communities of color and police officers,” after a video showing the forceful restraint of a student by a school police officer in the city led to criticism.
Lieutenant Bob Kroll, the president of the police union in neighboring Minneapolis, made headlines last month when he described the Black Lives Matter movement as a “terrorist organization” following unrest after the fatal shooting of a young black man was ruled justified. In an email, Kroll declined to comment on Dayton’s comments.
