Joshua Feast, 22
La Marque, Texas
December 09, 2020
Agencies: La Marque Police Department
Cause of death: Shooting
Last updated: over 2 years ago
Overview 
On December 9, 2020, La Marque Police Department (LMPD) Officer Jose Santos shot and killed 22-year-old Joshua Feast. According to LMPD, Feast was identified near a home in La Marque, Texas. Feast was a person of interest in ongoing investigations into nearby shootings, and had two outstanding felony warrants. Santos was dispatched to identify and arrest Feast, and claims that he spotted him leaning into a car on a nearby street.
According to bodycam footage released by officials, Santos exited his vehicle, pulling out his gun and firing at Feast as he ran away. City officials say that due to the nature of the body cameras used, there is no sound for the first 30 seconds of footage as the camera is in buffering mode. They claimed that Santos called out to Feast, although the body cam footage cannot support that claim; and that Feast was carrying a weapon. Feast was struck in the back, as noted by LMPD officials and an independent autopsy.
Officials claimed that Feast immediately dropped his weapon after being shot, and in the body cam footage, you can see something fall to the ground. A 9mm gun was recovered on the road after the shooting and a .45 was found on Feast's clothing, according to authorities.
Santos approached Feast as he lay on the ground, and the body cam footage shows that Feast was unable to respond to Santos due to pain. Feast later died as he was being transported to a nearby medical facility.
Feast's family and their attorney Benjamin Crumphave been calling for the firing of Santos, pointing to the independent autopsy, body cam footage, and witness statements as proof that Feast's death was unjustified. Neighbors told local news station KHOU that Feast was running away when he was shot. Witnesses also told the station that Santos called Feast’s name, but didn’t tell him to stop or put his hand’s up until after he shot him. Crump also said a witness said Santos kicked Feast while he was on the ground, CBS News reported.
Legal Action
On August 31, 2021, a grand jury declined to take action against Santos.
Additional Resources:
- https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/joshua-feast-shooting-update-officer-cleared/285-d144756a-6e8a-4f87-99ac-cb98cf58e896 added September 01, 2021 04:25
- https://www.insideedition.com/joshua-feast-texas-man-shot-by-police-was-shot-in-the-back-attorney-benjamin-crump-says-63846 added December 18, 2020 03:00