Philando Castile's mother slams 'silent war' on African Americans: 'We're being hunted every day'

Philando Castile&#039;s mother speaks out about her sons shooting by a police officer.

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

published 7 July 2016

In a powerful interview the morning after Philando Castile was fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer during a traffic stop, Castile's mother mourned not just her son, but also the entire law enforcement system. "You see them saying that there's no profiling, but there is," Valerie Castile said Thursday on CNN. "We're being hunted every day. It's a silent war against African-American people as a whole."

Castile said that her son was killed because there are "no checks and balances in the justice system." "I believe because everyone is getting acquitted it's like open season," she said, noting what she sees as an increased frequency in officer-involved shootings. "If you don't hold people accountable for what they do, then they feel like they can just do anything."