A jury has acquitted a Minnesota police officer in the shooting death of a black man outside St. Paul last year, putting to end a tragic saga that began with a routine traffic stop.

St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez was charged in the July 2016 shooting of school cafeteria worker Philando Castile, igniting protests and a call to action by civil rights activists nationwide against the deadly use of force by police.

After five days and more than 25 hours of deliberation, a jury decided that the state did not meet its burden for a conviction. Yanez would have faced up to 10 years under Minnesota law if he had been convicted.

Yanez had been charged with manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm for fatally shooting Castile, 32, in his car while Castile’s girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter were sitting in the vehicle just outside St. Paul, Minnesota.

The jury that determined Yanez’s fate consisted of seven men and five women. Two jurors were black and the rest were white.

Castile’s family held each other and wept in disappointment as they left the courtroom on Friday.

“The system continues to fail black people,” said Castile’s mother, Valerie, following the verdict. “My son loved this city and this city killed my son and let the murderer get away,” she said with high emotion.

Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was a key witness for the prosecution said she was “incredibly disappointed” with the jury’s decision. “It is a sad state of affairs when this type of criminal conduct is condoned simply because Yanez is a policeman,” she said in a statement. “God help America,” she said.

Despite the acquittal, Yanez will not be returning to “active duty” said the city of St. Anthony in a statement following the verdict. “The public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city,” the statement said. The city added that it was negotiating a voluntary separation agreement that would help Yanez transition into another career.

ya know,
i have no words anymore.
we shouldn’t be shocked at these verdicts.
this is just how it is.
we are killed in the street like animals and there is no justice.
this was broadcasted on facebook live.
millions saw it.
it still allows a cold blooded killer jackal to get off with no punishment.
AND gonna help him transition into another career.
i hope he doesn’t get a moment of peace.
this country and it’s laws is a joke.
now i see what tupac was talking about in his music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WRrAeQqVs8

lowkey: one more…

article taken: nbc news