Philando Castile's Girlfriend on His Fatal Shooting by Police: 'They Took His Life for No Reason'

Diamond Reynolds shared video on Facebook Live as Castile was shot and she was questioned after a traffic stop

Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty

Diamond Reynolds, the woman who livestreamed the aftermath of her boyfriend Philando Castile’s fatal shooting by police in Minnesota on Wednesday, is asking for “justice” in the wake of his death.

Speaking early on Thursday, Reynolds teared up as she told those gathered outside of Minnesota governor Mark Dayton’s residence in St. Paul, “They took his life for no reason.”

Later, she detailed the entire encounter that led to Castile’s death during a press conference also outside of the governor’s home, explaining that they were pulled over “allegedly for what the officer said was a broken taillight.”

Reynolds said two policemen stood outside of the car, allegedly identifying the officer on Castile’s side as an Asian male. “The officer asked for license and registration,” she said.

“As my boyfriend Philando went to reach for his identification – which he always kept in his right back side pocket – he began to let the officer know that he was concealed and carried, he was armed…the officer let off shots – not one shot, not two shots, not three shots, not four shots, but five shots, for no reason.”

WATCH: Second Police Shooting Sparks Protests as Minnesota Man is Fatally Wounded

She said that Castile, 32, calmly told the officer he was carrying because his gun holster was making it difficult for him to quickly reach his identification.

“How can one man put his hands in the air and reach for identification at the same time, as he is telling you that he is armed?”

Reynolds alleged that responding authorities did not check Castile’s pulse on the scene, and instead focused on rushing the officer away where he was “comforted.”

Of the officer, she alleged, “He began to mourn and cry, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this.’ ”

She said that the officer “seemed very frantic” and “very nervous,” charging, “he still had no right to bear arms on an innocent man in front of his girlfriend and her child.”

“I’m very, very devastated by this,” she said.

Castile was shot in St. Paul suburb Falcon Heights around 9 p.m., Thursday. In Reynolds’ Facebook Live video, Castile can be seen in the car covered in blood.

“He’s licensed to carry,” she can be heard saying. “He was trying to get out his ID and his wallet out his pocket and he let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm.”

The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the incident is being further investigated, Jon Mangseth, interim chief at the St. Anthony Police Department, confirmed during a press conference.

The governor and lieutenant governor of Minnesota are calling for a federal investigation into the shooting.