Philando Castile shooting 'nothing to do with race'
The shooting of Philando Castile - one of two black men killed by police officers in America over two days - had "nothing to do with race".
Mr Castile, 32, was shot dead on Wednesday in Minnesota after being pulled over in his car - the aftermath of which was captured on film by his girlfriend.
The deaths of Mr Castile and Alton Sterling at the hands of police this week has led to days of protests in cities across the USA under the title "Black Lives Matter".
On Thursday, a "lone shooter" who "wanted to kill white people" shot dead five police officers in Dallas.
On Saturday, the lawyer for Jeronimo Yanez - the officer who shot Mr Castile - argued his client's actions were not related to race.
Mr Yanez, who is on administrative leave, allegedly pulled over Mr Castile for a broken tail light.
Mr Castile's girlfriend claims he was reaching for his licence and registration when he was shot. Mr Yanez reportedly believes he saw a weapon.
"This incident had nothing to do with the race of the driver," said lawyer Thomas Kelly. "It had everything to do with the presence of a gun".
Mr Castile was shot a day after Mr Sterling was killed by officers as they attempted to arrest him.
"The use of deadly force here was necessitated by the actions of the driver of the vehicle," Mr Kelly said.
Mr Kelly added: "He's terribly saddened by the death. He's sad for the family of the decedent and his loved ones".