You Need To Watch This Video

On Thursday morning, Lavish "Diamond" Reynolds proved her strength once again. After her boyfriend, Philando Castile, was shot by a police officer near St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday night, Reynolds live-streamed her interactions with the police on Facebook — holding them accountable and ensuring that Castile's death would not be ignored. Just over 12 hours later, Reynolds bravely continued to fight for justice in the wake of her boyfriend's death.

On Thursday morning, Reynolds spoke to a crowd of reporters and bystanders about Castile's death, making a statement that was both heartbreaking and thought-provoking. She made a particularly important point when she stood in the crowd and pointed to the men of color standing around her, saying:

It could have been you, it could have been you, it could have been you, or you, or you. It could have been any of us.

According to a database created by The Washington Post, Philando Castile is the 115th black man fatally shot by police in 2016. Reynolds alleges that Castile was shot after being pulled over for a "busted taillight."

In her video, Reynolds claimed that the police officer asked to see Castile's driver's license, and that Castile informed the officer that he had a pistol he was licensed to carry with him. Reynolds said, "[Castile] was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm." The Minnesota police department has confirmed the shooting, but not released a formal statement as of yet.

At the Thursday conference, Reynolds said, "I want justice. [The police officer who shot Castile] should not be home with his family. He should be somewhere in jail, handcuffed."

Reynolds says that she was detained by police until nearly 5 a.m. Thursday — with no information on Castile, and without food or water. (Minnesota police have neither confirmed nor denied this.) Because Reynolds' video ended with her in the back of a police car, #WhereIsLavishReynolds trended on social media all throughout Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

In the video, Reynolds remains calm, and speaks to the officer who shot Castile politely, even though he's shouting expletives and pointing a gun through the car window. Soon after, Reynolds was handcuffed and taken into police custody. Considering the way in which Reynolds was treated — after she watched her boyfriend get shot — it's hard not to join her in questioning the system that detained her, but not the police officer that killed Castile.

Clearly, Reynolds deserves the peace and justice she asked for on Thursday morning — for herself, and for her deceased boyfriend.