SEATTLE, Feb 17 (Reuters) – A Hispanic advocacy group urged the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday to conduct its own investigation into the fatal police shooting in Washington state of an unarmed Mexican immigrant who ran from officers after throwing rocks at them.
Consejo Latino Chairman Felix Vargas complained of an inherent conflict of interest in having local authorities investigate the Feb. 10 slaying of Antonio Zambrano-Montes in Pasco, a small city in an agricultural hub with a large Hispanic community and a largely white power structure.
“It appears inescapable that the lethal force applied by these police officers was excessive in the extreme and, as such, it constituted a violation of Mr. Zambrano’s constitutional rights,” Vargas wrote in a letter to the Justice Department.
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Photo essay on #Pasco #protest over killing of #AntonioZambranoMontes by police #PascoShooting http://t.co/QqCK7lxZL7 pic.twitter.com/pVJK4srKLu
— Joshua Trujillo (@joshtrujillo) February 15, 2015
