Antonio Zambrano-Montes Shooting Update: Pasco, Washington Police Officers Shot at Mexican Migrant Worker Throwing Rocks 17 Times [Video]
A police investigation has revealed that three Washington state police officers fired 17 shots at an unarmed Hispanic man. He was struck by five or six of the bullets before he died on a sidewalk in a predominantly Hispanic Washington community earlier this month.
The incident occurred on Feb. 10 when Antonio Zambrano-Montes was gunned down by police in Pasco, which is 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 police.
Police said Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at police cars at a busy intersection in Pasco before the shooting and then refused to drop the stones.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Kennewick Police Department Sgt. Ken Lattin told reporters that the officers initially used a stun gun on Zambrano-Montes twice, but it failed to subdue him, reports The Associated Press.
Lattin also said that none of the shots struck the former orchard worker in the back, although he did not provide further details about where he was actually hit on his body.
According to Time, Lattin, who is heading up a special investigation unit outside of the Pasco police department, added that a final report by the medical examiner's office into the shooting will not be finished for at least another month.
Meanwhile, no weapons were found next to Zambrano-Montes' body -- only a rock -- according to the sergeant.
Since Zambrano-Montes' death, there have been a number of protests in the city, where the majority Hispanic population lacks representation in the police force and political system. Protesters and the American Civil Liberties Union are calling for federal officials to step in and investigate the case.
According to Charles Herrmann, an attorney representing Zambrano-Montes' estranged wife and two teenage daughters, it is difficult for neighboring police officers to investigate their colleagues.
"I do not think these authorities can conduct a truly impartial investigation of their brother officers," he said.
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