Facebook has denied censoring a live video that showed the aftermath of a fatal police shooting in Minnesota
The video was broadcast by Lavish Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, and shows Castile bleeding in a car after the shooting. Castile later died at the hospital, according to his mother, CBS reports.
According to CBS: "St. Anthony Police said in a press release that officers pulled over a vehicle at Larpenteur Avenue and Fry Street at about 9 p.m. They said 'shots were fired' during the traffic stop, and a handgun was recovered at the scene."
In the video, Reynolds says that the police officer told Castile to get his license and registration, and shot him when he attempted to do so. She also says Castile was legally licensed to carry a gun.
The video went viral, quickly topping a million views, but then disappeared from Facebook, according to TechCrunch. That wasn't an act of intentional censorship, Facebook says.
"We're very sorry that the video was temporarily inaccessible," a Facebook spokesperson said to TechCrunch. "It was down due to a technical glitch and restored as soon as we were able to investigate."
The video has been restored, but now contains a graphic content warning. It has reached over two million views.
Castile's mother told CNN that she and her daughter found out Castile had been shot by watching the video on Facebook.
This shooting came less than a day after the police in Louisiana shot and killed 37-year-old Alton Sterling in front of a convenience store in Baton Rouge. The US Justice Department announced Wednesday that it was opening an investigation into the case.
Here is a link to the original video (WARNING: CONTENT IS GRAPHIC).
Here is a photo of Philando Castile given to the media by his family:
Additional reporting by Bryan Logan.