Family members are demanding justice for Joshua Feast, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by a La Marque, Texas police officer on Dec. 9, according to reporting by KPRC-TV.
Feast was fatally shot by La Marque officer Jose Santos after an attempted arrest on outstanding felony warrants, according to the La Marque Police Department.
Since Feast’s fatal shooting, his family members have taken to social media to demand justice for Feast, using the hashtag #JusticeforJoshua to garner support and awareness.
“We want answers. My cousin didn’t deserve a death sentence for running away,” Twitter user and relative of Joshua Feast @dejthedoll stated.
Accompanying @dejthedoll’s tweet was a statement from Ben Crump, a civil rights and personal injury attorney representing Feast’s family. In the statement, Crump demanded the release of the body cam footage, stating that though the officer who fatally shot Feast has been identified, “Joshua and his family deserve to know what transpired the night of this tragedy.”
The body cam footage was released on Dec. 21 by the Galveston County Sheriff’s office after multiple public information requests, according to NBC News.
Following the release of the body cam footage, Crump tweeted a video of the footage, stating that Feast “posed no threat” to Santos the night of his fatal shooting.
“Joshua is another Black man who was unjustifiably shot and killed by a police officer,” Crump tweeted.
Greg Cagle, the attorney representing officer Santos, told NBC News Monday that though there was no audio in that portion of the video, the officer called Feast by name and told him to drop his weapon after seeing Feast with a gun. Santos fired after Feast pulled the weapon into his hand, his attorney said.
In addition to raising awareness on social media, many gathered at La Marque City Hall on Dec. 21 in protest of Feast’s death. Kimberley Yancy, president of the Dickinson/Bay Area Unit of the NAACP and an organizer of the protest, thanked the city of La Marque for releasing the body cam footage, but also expressed disappointment and called for further justice, according to reporting by Galveston County Daily News.
“We thank La Marque for the transparency and releasing the body cam, but we are concerned and disappointed,” Yancy said.
“No one deserves to get shot in the back. He never pointed a gun at the officer, he took off running.” protester Tyronica Coleman told Galveston Daily County News.
Feast’s mother LaKeisha Feast has also started a GoFundMe titled the “Joshua Feast Memorial Fund.” Feast stated in the GoFundMe description that the funds raised will cover “funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for Joshua.” As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe has raised $1,509 of its $10,000 goal.
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