Washington Protests 2015: Hundreds Protest Against Police Brutality Following Death of Migrant Worker
Hundreds of children and adults protested against police brutality in Washington Saturday amidst a fatal shooting of a migrant orchard worker in Pasco.
The group demanded justice for Antonio Zambrano-Montes who police killed on Tuesday for allegedly throwing rocks at them, according to The Associated Press.
Some of the large signs during the protest, led by the victim's family, read, "Stop Police Brutality: It was just a rock!!!" "Use Your Training, Not Guns," and "Good Police We Respect You."
The crowd also marched to the location where the shooting took place.
Felix Vargas, chairman of Consejo Latino, a group of primarily Latino business leaders, called for a federal investigation into the shooting while demonstrators demanded a full review of the Pasco police department.
Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel will order an inquest. He said the results will be open to the public.
Meanwhile, the victim's family filed a $25 million claim in damages against the city of Pasco, New York Daily News reports.
Police confirmed Friday that Zambrano-Montes, who is also a citizen of Mexico, was not armed during the shooting.
Officials are still investigating the incident where it has been reported that Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at the cops before they opened fire. Police say the victim's threatening behavior led officers to shoot him after a stun gun could not calm him.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reiterated the country is against police using lethal force.
"I have directed the secretary of foreign relations to support his family so they feel the backing and support of the government of Mexico, so they don't feel alone and so there is a close monitoring of the investigation into this regrettable and outrageous occurrence," he said.
Detectives will be interviewing at least 40 witnesses for the investigation and will be reviewing dash-cam video footage.
Three other fatal police shootings in Pasco have been cleared by prosecutors.
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