Heartbreaking Photos Prove Just How Much Philando Castile Was Loved at the School He Worked At

Late Thursday night, Philando Castile was shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer during a routine traffic stop. The 32-year-old was a cafeteria supervisor at a St. Paul Montessori school, and with the news of his death, there came an outpouring of shock, grief, and love from the school community he had spent years serving.

According to the St. Paul Public School district, Castile had graduated from a St. Paul high school himself and had joined the local school system's nutrition services department shortly after graduating, when he was just 19. He had been promoted to the supervisory role at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet school two years prior to his death.

His yearbook photo. #PhilandoCastile isn't just a hashtag. He worked with kids. His life had value. He was murdered. pic.twitter.com/2rd5spD154

— Wendy R (@WendyRMonkey) July 7, 2016

A teacher at J.J. Hill and one of Castile's co-workers, Anna Garnaas, told The Washington Post: "We're just devastated. He just loved the kids, and he always made sure that they had what they needed. He knew their names, he knew what they liked, he knew who had allergies. And they loved him."

Conversations with children from the school reveal the lasting impact Castile had on them. He was known for giving fist bumps and words of comfort, and as one child told local news station FOX 9, "he was one of the kindest people in the whole school."

Kids from #PhilandoCastile's school say he would comfort them when they were feeling down. pic.twitter.com/sAA9u8zeYR

— FOX 9 (@MyFOX9) July 7, 2016

On Thursday evening, the school held an hour-long vigil in Castile's honor. Parents, administrators, and teachers alike all spoke fondly of Castile as a kind, considerate presence in the school community. "Everything Mr Phil did in this school was for the kids," said former chairman of the PTO Tony Fragnito, according to The Guardian. St. Paul Superintendent Valeria Silva called him "one of our own" in a formal statement.

Message from #PhilandoCastille colleagues and students pic.twitter.com/3wzUePomM2

— Chris Egert (@cegertKSTP) July 7, 2016

Today we mourn the death of one our Teamster brothers, Philando Castile. Join us in prayer for the Castile family. pic.twitter.com/ahJmW0mh7e

— TEAMSTERS JC 32 (@Teamstersjc32) July 7, 2016

The J.J. Hill school itself is designated as an "international peace site" and includes the goal of peace as part of the school's mission statement: "Peace means that, on the classroom level, we involve children in making peace and building community." Many parents and teachers alike are now struggling to explain to their children why the familiar figure in their cafeteria will no longer be present.

"[Philando] has that presence that people respect and they become more respectful too," one of Castile's recently retired co-workers, Joan Edman, told Time. "I think he did that for kids. Kids watch everything, and they saw that. He had so much going for him. He didn't have an axe to grind. It just doesn't make sense. This is a real person. Five hundred real children are directly impacted."

" #PhilandoCastile fed my sons lunch. Cops fed him four bullets. #Blacklivesmatter" pic.twitter.com/YXhkXPKQyL

— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) July 7, 2016

Castile had consistently impressed his colleagues with how seriously he took his job and how strictly he adhered to the rules. In a school district statement, they described how he had worn a shirt and tie to his supervisor interview and said his goal was to one day "sit on the other side of this table."

"I am deeply sorry for his family and for their loss," Superintendent Silva concluded.