Antonio Zambrano-Montes Pasco Police Shooting Update: Latino Groups to Hold March Demanding Justice
Latino groups in Washington announced they will hold demonstrations on Friday and Saturday to remember the two-month mark of the death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed Mexican man who died in a police shooting in Pasco.
Zambrano-Montes died on Feb. 10 after he was gunned down by three police officers in Pasco, about 200 miles away from Seattle. Video footage of the incident shows the 35-year-old Mexican migrant running away as police appear to open fire. Zambrano-Montes was then fatally shot after he stopped running and turned toward the cops.
Police said that Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at police cars at a busy intersection before the shooting and then refused to drop the stones. An investigation revealed that the three officers fired 17 shots at him in total.
On Monday, several Latino groups, including the Washington Dream Act Coalition and MEChA, gathered at the site of the shooting to announce their plans commemorate Zambrano-Montes's death and demand justice. According to the Washington Dream Act Coalition, there will be a vigil on Friday at the busy intersection where he was shot. In addition, there will be a rally and mass march at Volunteer Park in Pasco on Saturday.
"Well, starting this Friday at 5 o'clock right here on the corner of 10th and Lewis in front of Vinny's, we are going to have a vigil to mark the two month mark since [Zambrano-Montes] was killed. The following day on the 11th we will be joining MEChA out at Volunteer Park at 2 o'clock for a rally and a march," said Jeremy Peterson, Rally Organizer, according to NBC Right Now.
Advocates also voiced their anger over Gov. Jay Inslee's decision not to direct the state attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the police shooting in order to prevent a conflict of interest.
"First of all we need a special prosecutor for this case, said activist Martin Negrete, who represents both MEChA and the Washington Dream Act Coalition. "Secondly we would like to have a federal investigation be leading this case. Thirdly we would also like to have better retraining for the Pasco Police Officers. And last but not least better representation for the police officers," he said.
"Certainly the march is just one of many events of continued action and will happen in the future until we believe that we've gotten justice for Antonio and justice for Pasco," added Moses Chege, representing the WDAC, according to KEPRTV.
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