Mexican Migrant Worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes' Family Lawyer Withdraws $25M Lawsuit After Pasco, Washington Police Shooting
A lawyer representing the family of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who police shot dead early in February, has been replaced by a new attorney, who recently withdrew the $25 million lawsuit against Pasco, Washington.
According to The Associated Press, Charles Herrmann, the family's new attorney, withdrew the lawsuit, claiming the case needed further investigation into the Pasco Police Department's policies regarding people who are mentally or do not speak English.
Police officers in the Washington city of over 60,000 shot Zambrano-Montes dead on Feb. 10 after he fled from and threw rocks at them. The Mexican migrant worker's death has aggravated the mostly Latino community; in the last six months, there have been four killings at the hands of Pasco police.
"No matter how desperate the effort to excuse this killing, Antonio (Zambrano-Montes) posed no threat of grievous harm to these policemen at the moment they took his life," Herrmann wrote in a letter to the city obtained by the Tri-City Herald. "The mere fact that he may have thrown rocks before, or even if he possibly had a small pebble hidden in his hand, it cannot possibly justify police resorting to deadly force."
Although the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit will take over the case and no Pasco police officers will be involved, Herrmann still seeks a federal investigation.
"I'm not impugning anybody's integrity, but I think the natural bias of these policemen to protect their brother officers is inescapable," he explained.
Herrmann recently took over the case after George Paul Trejo Jr., the previous attorney, was relieved.The claim Trejo filed was done without the consent of Zambrano-Montes' wife, Teresa de Jesus Meraz Ruiz, was badly planned and premature, according to Herrmann.
Trejo denies these claims, saying that Meraz Ruiz agreed to the suit and the amount. He explained he expected the city to deny it but wanted it to start litigation. The amount was decided with the family so that it could be split between Zambrano Montes's wife and two daughters, Trejo said.
Despite the attorney issues, Latino leaders in Pasco continue to push for a federal investigation and met with an official from the Justice Department, reports NBC News.
Consejo Latino, Pasco's group of Latino community leaders, met with a Justice Department conciliation specialist who will recommend a meeting between the police department, the Zambrano family and the group. The group has also called for a federal investigation.
The shooting has prompted protests in the area. Over the weekend, the group blocked a bridge and various roads around Pasco.
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