Feaster found guilty

A jury on Tuesday (Oct. 18) found former Paradise Police Officer Patrick Feaster guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of suspected drunken driver Andrew Thomas last fall.

“The police have a difficult, challenging job, but the community wants accountability in their police,” said District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who prosecuted the case. “The jury here found that accountability under the law. I’m grateful that they did.”

Ramsey (pictured) says he believes the key piece of evidence that led to Feaster’s conviction was the video and audio, from Feaster’s own dash cam as well as the body cameras of fellow officers. The defense argued that the shooting was an accident, but Ramsey maintains it was criminally negligent. “I’m happy the jury saw it the way we saw it,” he said.

Feaster is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 16.