Philando Castile’s girlfriend speaks out after fatal shooting, says police ‘took his life for no reason’

The woman who livestreamed the violent aftermath of a fatal police shooting in Minnesota that killed her boyfriend, Philando Castile, said Thursday Castile was shot while reaching for his driver’s licence during a traffic stop.

While speaking in front of the Minnesota governor’s mansion, a visibly distraught Lavish Reynolds wept as she described the fatal encounter between a Minnesota police officer and Castile, who was shot in his vehicle multiple times in front of her 4-year-old daughter.

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1:11 Raw video: Woman calmly livestreams bloody aftermath of Philando Castile shooting

Reynolds filmed a Facebook live video in the moments after the shooting that showed Castile bleeding while sitting in a car at roughly 9 p.m. Wednesday in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

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Reynolds said that she, Castile, and her 4-year-old daughter were in the car they were stopped by a police officer who questioned them about a broken tail light – which she said was not broken.

Reynolds said that after the officer asked Castile for his license and registration, Castile reached into his pocket for his identification and informed the officer that he was carrying a pistol and was licensed.

READ MORE: Woman calmly livestreams bloody aftermath of Philando Castile shooting

The officer then fired several shots at Castile, according to Reynolds.

She said she began livestreaming the incident as her boyfriend lay bleeding in the car seat beside her.

“He took his last breath in front of us,” she told a crowd of supporters and the media. “Police are not here to protect and serve us. They are here to assassinate us.”

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St. Anthony Police interim police chief Jon Mangseth said the incident began when an officer pulled over a vehicle around 9 p.m. Wednesday in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul’s, Minnesota. Mangseth said he did not have details about the reason for the traffic stop, but that at some point shots were fired.

Police said in a statement that a handgun was recovered from the scene and that the officer involved in the shooting has been put on paid administrative leave.

WATCH: The girlfriend of Philando Castile explained why she put video of the incident on Facebook

0:24 ‘I wanted to put it on Facebook so it could go viral’

Reynolds said that she decided film the incident because she wanted it to go “viral” in order show the world what happened.

The Minnesota shooting comes less than two days after 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a video-recorded incident that refocused attention in the United State on the use of force by police against minorities.

*With files from the Associated Press