First 3 Defendants Sentenced in Castile Shooting Protest

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The first three people to stand trial for shutting down
Interstate 94 in St. Paul last year over the fatal police shooting of Philando
Castile have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Adam Burch, Zachary Kolodziej and Elise Sommers pleaded guilty in Ramsey County
District Court on Tuesday to unlawful assembly and public nuisance. Each was
sentenced to a year of probation and fines and fees totaling $186. They were the
first of 21 protesters charged in the July 9, 2016, demonstration to face trial.

The three said their actions were a necessary reaction to a system that
unjustly targets people of color.

More than 100 people were arrested at the protest, which followed the July 6,
2016, shooting death of Castile during a traffic stop. Castile's girlfriend
livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook.