PASCO, Wash. (AP) – Four people have been shot and killed by police in recent months in this agricultural city of 68,000 in southeastern Washington, and the most recent death of an orchard worker accused of throwing rocks at officers has sparked protests after witnesses said he was running away.
Antonio Zambrano-Montes’ death Tuesday marks the fourth fatal police shooting since last summer in Pasco, a city about 215 miles southeast of Seattle. In three previous cases, prosecutors cleared officers with the Pasco Police Department and a sheriff’s deputy who was working on a regional SWAT team.
Police say Zambrano-Montes’ threatening behavior led officers to open fire. The 35-year-old threw multiple rocks, hitting two officers, and refused to put down other stones. They say a stun gun failed to subdue him.
He had a run-in with Pasco police early last year, having been arrested for assault after throwing objects at officers and trying to grab an officer’s pistol, court records show.
Some people who saw the shooting at a busy intersection Tuesday evening videotaped the confrontation, and witnesses said Zambrano-Montes was fleeing when officers opened fire.