Vol. 80/No. 19 May 16, 2016
Calif. cop to stand trial for killing Andrew Thomas
Feaster shot Thomas, 26, as he attempted to climb out of his car, which crashed while Feaster pursued him in a patrol car Nov. 26. Passenger Darien Ehorn, 23, was thrown from the car and died at the scene.
The opening frame of the cop car’s dashcam video was projected on the courtroom wall. The video, which has been widely seen on the Internet, shows Feaster approaching the overturned vehicle with his gun drawn and shooting Thomas through the neck. Feaster then searches for his spent shell casing.
The courtroom was filled with spectators. Thomas’ parents, grandmother, two of his sisters and an uncle were there, along with family friends and opponents of police brutality who had pressed for Feaster to be fired and charged.
“It’s public reaction that caused [District Attorney Michael] Ramsey to fight even this hard, which is not enough,” Melissa Burnside, 28, who had been part of the protests, told the Militant. “If the cops have gone rogue, who do you turn to? The outcry came after the district attorney wasn’t on our side.”
During the hearing, defense attorney Paul Goyette said he intends to file a motion to dismiss a “gun enhancement” to the involuntary manslaughter charge because Feaster’s police duties required him to carry the weapon. The judge will hear arguments on this May 11.
Family members gathered outside the courthouse called on supporters to “come out and make awareness that police brutality is not OK.”
Since his death “I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach,” Fran Tzugaris, 78, Thomas’ grandmother, told the Militant. In a memorial fund appeal posted on the Internet to help with funeral expenses, Thomas’ sister Cassandra Roller wrote, “I pray that justice is served not only for my brother but for there to be a change and end to police brutality, an international problem that affects us all as human beings.”
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home