Castile's Girlfriend On Charges: Choi 'Had Courage To Do What Is Right'
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Diamond Reynolds agrees with the charges of manslaughter against Officer Jeronimo Yanez, filed Wednesday by the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
She says what happened that day, in the car with Philando and her daughter, has forever changed her life.
"Relieved and still sad and just disbelief," said Diamond Reynolds.
Reynolds says she was flooded with emotion after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced manslaughter charges against the officer who took the life of her boyfriend.
"The charges that were brought upon the officer, it is not what I wanted or expected, but we have to give credit where credit is due," Reynolds said.
Reynolds says she knows it was the video she recorded moments after Philando Castile was shot that made a difference in the case. Some have called her a hero for what she did.
She sees herself in a different light.
"I would call myself a sister in the struggle just because I've dealt with so many things in my life that my only instinct is to be strong, is to be courageous," Reynolds said.
MORE: Timeline Of Events In The Philando Castile Case
The aftermath of the shooting is what's hard for Reynolds to deal with.
"I never asked for this to happen to me. I never asked for the negative or the positive, but it has affected my life. It's affected my job, it's affected the way people look at me, it affects everything I do in my life and it's hard to move forward here in Minnesota because you feel everyone is against you," Reynolds said.
Reynolds says the shooting will forever haunt her.
"A lot of people don't understand how detrimental that officers shooting in to our car meant to myself. My daughter's life could have been taken away," Reynolds said.
Reynolds says her daughter is the real hero.
Strong during the shooting, and even stronger know that justice could be within reach.
"Her energy is just something you live off of, you feed off of. She keeps me going everyday she is absolutely amazing," Reynolds said.
Reynolds says she must now wait with others to see if Officer Yanez will be held accountable for his actions with a conviction.
