Vol. 81/No. 1 January 2, 2017
Cop gets jail time for killing of Andrew Thomas in Paradise, Calif.
Reilley rejected arguments by Feaster’s lawyer that he shouldn’t serve any time in jail.
Salez, 29, a childhood friend of Thomas, credited the protests in Paradise last December and January — and protests against cop killings nationally — for Feaster being fired, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to jail.
Feaster shot Thomas as he climbed out unarmed from a friend’s vehicle, which had rolled over. The car hit the median in the road with Feaster chasing it, seeking a DUI arrest. Thomas died some three weeks later.
Paul Goyette, Feaster’s attorney, called the shooting “accidental,” and announced he intends to appeal. Goyette lamented the “current environment” created by protests against killings by cops. “If this had happened five years ago,” he said, “Feaster would never have been sent to jail.”
Victoria Rose Woodward, Thomas’ mother, was one of some three dozen supporters present, most wearing a commemorative T-shirt demanding, “Justice for Andrew Nicholas Thomas; May 17, 1989 - Dec. 19, 2015; Accountability for Police Officers.”
“We are changing the course of history, police officers must face consequences for their actions,” Woodward said. “This is a victory in my eyes.”
During the hearing, Edward Thomas, Andrew’s father, urged the judge to impose “the maximum penalty” for “a life taken in a cowardly act of violence.”
Fran Tzugaris, Thomas’ grandmother, told reporters the family had wished for a longer sentence. Five years is the maximum for felony involuntary manslaughter. “But police usually don’t go to jail,” she said.
Related articles:
Calif. vigil denounces cop killing of Francisco Serna
Socialist Workers Party candidate joins protest
Milwaukee cop charged in killing of Sylville Smith
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