PARADISE, Calif. – Several people in the Northern California town of Paradise are protesting a district attorney’s decision not to bring charges against a police officer who shot and injured a suspected drunk driver who crashed after a pursuit on Thanksgiving Eve. The crash killed the driver’s wife.
According to the Paradise Post, on Nov. 25 Paradise police Officer Patrick Feaster was in a pursuit with an SUV when the driver crashed and the vehicle rolled on its side. Dashboard camera video showed Feaster exit his patrol car and approach the SUV just as the driver, Andrew Thomas, was climbing out of the passenger side window. Feaster shot Thomas once, and Thomas fell back into the vehicle.
The DA concluded the shooting was likely unintentional.
Thomas’ wife, 23-year-old Darien Ehorn, was killed in the crash. At the time Thomas had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit, the DA’s office said. He is expected to face manslaughter charges in the death of his wife.
