Philando Castile's former classmates give out first scholarship in honour of slain black man's life

Former classmates of Philando Castile have given out the first scholarship in the name of the man they knew who was killed by police during a traffic stop in which he informed the officer that he had a licenced firearm in his car.

The scholarship awards $5,000 a year to a young man of colour each year, and has been established by alumni of Central High School, where Mr Castile went to school.

The first scholarship was awarded to Marques Watson, who graduated from the school this year and is headed to St Paul College for two years to study mechanical engineering before he transfers to a four-year university.

“Before I received this scholarship, I had no way… at all, that I was going to be able to help myself, and my family really has no money to help me,” Mr Watson told Minnesota Public Radio. “This scholarship is great because it takes a little weight off my shoulders.”

The scholarship committee hopes to raise $100,000 so that they can establish an endowment for the scholarship. So far, they’ve raised $50,000 toward that goal.

Mr Castile graduated from the high school in 2001, and his life was cut short last July when a police officer shot him after pulling him over for a broken taillight. The officer later argued in court that there were other circumstances that led him to pull the trigger, including suspicions that Mr Castile may have robbed a convenience store earlier that day.

The officer also argued in court that Mr Castile’s black skin did not play a part in his decision to shoot.

A video of him dying spread like wildfire on the internet after Mr Castile’s girlfriend live streamed him covered in blood in the driver’s seat after the shooting. It was the latest in a series of videos showing police killing black men around the country, which have sparked protests and discussions about police brutality in the US.