Paradise >> Video from the cameras worn by two Paradise police officers shed new light on the controversial Nov. 25 shooting of a drunken driving suspect.
In response to a request from this newspaper, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey Wednesday released six video clips from the body cameras officers Manny Ayala and John Alvies wore.
Andrew Thomas, 26, twice told officers he had been shot but he was dismissed until 11 minutes after Ayala and Alvies arrived, when officer Patrick Feaster told Alvies, "I had an A.D. (accidental discharge) ... I don't think I shot him. I wasn't even pointing at him but the gun did go off."
The shooting left Thomas paralyzed after a rollover crash killed Thomas' estranged wife, Darien Ehorn, 23.
The videos, which are graphic in parts, show how police conducted themselves that evening. They show that Alvies and Ayala were not looking for a shell casing and seem to confirm that Alvies, the watch commander, didn't know Feaster had fired his gun until 11 minutes after arriving on scene.
The audio and video also show both Alvies and Ayala attempted to talk to Ehorn throughout the time they were on scene.
Ehorn, who was ejected from the Toyota 4Runner and died, never responded to officers at scene. There are three videos from each officer but two of them are interviews with a witness, which are being withheld for his privacy.
Ramsey had previously released only the video from the dashboard camera of Feaster's vehicle. The video shows that Feaster shot Thomas as he was attempting to climb out of his vehicle, which had rolled onto its side. The only audio of the dash cam video was the communication from Feaster to public safety dispatchers.
Ramsey said Feaster did not turn on his body camera.
Ayala video
Ayala's video starts at 12:05 a.m. early Thanksgiving morning, just after the chase from the Canteena on the Skyway to the accident site on Pearson Road. Ayala was the second officer on scene and immediately asks if Ehorn is the only victim. Feaster tells him there is a male in the car who refuses to get out. Moments later, Alvies directs Ayala to hold Ehorn's head until medics arrive.
Ayala tells Ehorn, "Ma'am, I am just going to hold on to your neck? OK?"
Advertisement
On the audio, Feaster appears to tell Alvies that Thomas refuses to exit the car. Feaster then says, "Get out of the car, sir. You're not shot. Get out of the car, sir."
Ayala spends the rest of the time until medics arrive trying to stabilize Ehorn. While he's doing that, Alvies can be heard talking to Thomas. He tells Thomas to get out of the car. That's when Thomas tells Alvies he's been shot.
"Who shot you? Did you get shot at the Canteena?"
Thomas responds, "The cop."
"The cop did not shoot you," Alvies said.
It was the second time that Thomas had told an officer he had been shot. Thomas had told Feaster right after the shooting.
Alvies then returns to Ehorn to check on her status.
As Feaster and Alvies attempt to break the windshield to get Thomas out, Ayala tells Alvies, "I think he's hurt in there." "I know he is," Alvies said. "I think he's in shock."
Ayala's video later shows firefighters pulling Thomas out of the car with Feaster and Alvies observing. Alvies begins to walk away and orders Feaster to watch the scene. He tells Ayala, "You're with me! We're going to the Canteena to see who ..."
It appears Feaster then says, "No, no. I had an A.D. (accidental discharge). ... I don't think I shot him. I wasn't even pointing at him but the gun did go off."
Alvies looks incredulous and says, "Oh my (expletive) God. Are you serious?"
Alvies video
When Alvies gets on the scene he's immediately asking Ehorn if she can hear him and what her name is. After he does that, he heads to the back of the car to get a license plate, but makes another call for medics.
His first interaction with Feaster is to ask for gloves. He asks neighbors to step back, including one who had offered a blanket.
After Alvies and Feaster attempt to pull away the window, Alvies attempts to talk to Thomas again. Thomas doesn't respond. He asks Thomas to look at him to make sure he's OK.
"Did you bump your head?" the officer asks.
When firefighters arrive, Alvies tells them that Thomas had been talking to them but no longer is.
After Alvies learned that Feaster had possibly shot Thomas, he appears to look for a casing, then returns to get an update on Thomas.
He asks about where Thomas may be injured but firefighters weren't sure. He then orders Ayala to go stand with Feaster, but not to talk to him about the shooting.
Related content
DA's investigation report: http://ift.tt/1Rxd7oL
Ramsey responds to protesters: http://ift.tt/1NEDVxc
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
http://ift.tt/eA8V8J [UPDATE] Police Officer in Northern California who shot man trying to get out of car after rollover accident. New information/Video released by DA. via top scoring links : news http://ift.tt/1NvmEc1
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment