Athletes react to Philando Castile shooting by police
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After two videos of black men being shot and killed by police went viral over the past two days, many athletes took to social media to voice their opinions on the incidents.
The most recent shooting took place on Wednesday, when Philando Castile was shot by a police officer in Minnesota after being pulled over for having a broken tail light. Castile’s girlfriend recorded a video that shows him bleeding in the front seat of the car. She says in the video that he was shot after reaching into his back pocket to retrieve his license from his wallet.
On Tuesday, a video circulated of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old man in Baton Rouge, La., being restrained by police and then shot to death. The Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the incident.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick called Sterling’s death a modern-day lynching, a label Castile’s sister Alize also used for her brother’s death, according to CBS.
• Kaepernick on Alton Sterling shooting: ‘What lynchings look like in 2016’
Several NBA athletes posted their reactions to the shooting on Twitter.
NFL players also posted their reactions on Twitter.
Two officers were reportedly present during Castile’s shooting, and one has been place on administrative leave, according to CNN.
Both officers involved in the Sterling incident have been placed on leave.
