Antonio Zambrano-Montes Pasco Police Shooting Update: Hispanic Group Wants New Prosecutor, Says Current One Has Questionable Credibility
A local Hispanic group is calling for a special prosecutor in the case of an unarmed Mexican man who was fatally shot by police in Pasco, Washington, last month.
The shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes occurred on Feb. 10 when he 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 cops.
An investigation revealed that three officers fired 17 shots and the victim was hit by five or six bullets.
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. They also claim that they initially used a stun gun on Zambrano-Montes twice, but it failed to subdue him, reports the Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Consejo Latino, a group of local businessmen in Pasco calling for justice for Zambrano, sent a letter to Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant demanding that he step down from the case. According to the group, Sant would not handle the case fairly because he has a strong conflicting interest. They say that he is working closely with the special investigations unit, which is currently investigating the shooting. Plus, Sant has appeared in three news conferences with the SIU spokesperson Sergeant Ken Lattin, which the group says implies that he is siding with police.
"We question his credibility; he has been part of the SIU investigation. Mr. Sant is also a former police officer and he is normally the defender of the police in cases involving criminal activity," said Felix Vargas, the Chair of Consejo Latino Chairman, to NBC affiliate KNDU.
The letter asks for state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to appoint a special prosecutor. If that doesn't happen, then Consejo Latino says it will ask the governor to intervene, reports The AP.
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