Three police officers in Pasco, Washington, will not face charges for fatally shooting an immigrant worker who allegedly threatened them by throwing rocks last February, a prosecutor announced Wednesday.
Police say the man, 35-year-old Antonio Zambrano-Montes, ignored repeated commands to peacefully stand down, but bystanders who recorded the incident on video maintain the officers used unnecessary force. Officers reportedly shot at Zambrano-Montes 17 times.
"It looked like he was turning to put [the rock] down," witness Benjamin Patrick told investigators in a report on the incident. "I think they shot him in the back. That's what it looked like to me.”
Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said Pasco police officers Ryan Flanagan, Adam Wright and Adrian Alaniz will not face criminal charges because there was no clear evidence of malice in their actions.
George Trejo Jr., a lawyer representing Zambrano-Montes' wife and children, said he was disappointed by the outcome in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.
“[Sant’s] claim that there is insufficient evidence to establish any crime beyond a reasonable doubt is a pretext for his decision to protect law enforcement from the very beginning of this case," he wrote. "We are not surprised by this decision but disgusted and disappointed. This is precisely the reason why we continually asked for an independent criminal investigation."
“We just want justice,” said Erica Salazar, a family member of Zambrano-Montes, according to the Tri-City Herald. “It could have been avoided.”
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has asked state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to review the case and the prosecutor’s decision not to charge the officers, local ABC affiliate KVEW-TV reports.
Zambrano-Montes' family filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month seeking more than $25 million in damages, and is also filing a separate suit against the city of Pasco for $4.76 million.