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LeBron James: Philando Castile shooting ‘sickens me’

LeBron James reacted to killing of Philando Castile by police in Minnesota on Wednesday.

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LeBron James: Philando Castile shooting ‘sickens me’
LeBron James: Philando Castile shooting ‘sickens me’ /

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LeBron James reacted to the killing of Philando Castile by police in Minnesota on Wednesday, saying the situation ‘sickens’ him.

In a tweet on Thursday night, James linked to a Time.com piece about Castile’s killing and said he “shed multiple tears about it all.” He called for an end to the violence and hashtagged #blacklivesmatter in his message. He then sent two more tweets hashtagging the names of Castile and Alton Sterling, another black man killed by police in Louisiana on Tuesday.

Castile, 32, was a cafeteria supervisor at a school in St. Paul, Minn. He was fatally shot by an officer during a traffic stop in the area, and his girlfriend captured the aftermath on a video that quickly went viral on social media platforms.

Sterling, 37, was shot several times and killed by police in Baton Rouge, La. while being held to the ground for reasons unclear. The incident was captured by bystanders on video and is being investigated by police and the FBI. 

Two officers were reportedly present during Castile’s shooting, and one has been place on administrative leave, according to CNN. Both officers involved in the Sterling incident have been placed on leave.

The two killings have reignited a national discussion about race and police violence. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick called Sterling’s death a modern-day lynching, a label Castile’s sister Alize also used for her brother’s death, according to CBS.

James is the latest of many athletes across the sporting world to react publicly to the incidents.

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