The death of Philando Castile and the trial of Jeronimo Yanez

74 Seconds podcast: Jeronimo Yanez takes the stand

Defense attorney Tom Kelly questions his client, officer Jeronimo Yanez.
Defense attorney Tom Kelly questions officer Jeronimo Yanez on the witness stand Friday, June 9.
Nancy Muellner for MPR News

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Twitter | Facebook
Full coverage
Daily dispatches from the trial

In July 2016, police officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Yanez has been charged with manslaughter. Reporters from MPR News will follow the case, beginning with the traffic stop, in a new podcast called "74 Seconds."

Seventy-four seconds is the amount of time that elapsed between the moment Yanez turned on his squad car lights to the moment he fired the seventh and final shot into Castile's car.

Episodes launched May 22, and our coverage continues when the trial begins: On the podcast, on the radio and on our website at mprnews.org/74seconds.

Trial, Day 9: Jeronimo Yanez testifies

It was a big day in court. Jeronimo Yanez took the stand in his own defense.

It was the first time he has told his story publicly. And his testimony is one of the biggest pieces of the entire trial.

We walked back through the night of the shooting, from Yanez's perspective, now that he's given his testimony.

"I thought I was going to die," he told the jury. "I had no other choice."