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Pasco Puts Police Officers Back On The Job After Zambrano-Montes Shooting

Pasco Police
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File photo. Two Pasco, Washington, police officers who were involved in the February shooting of Antonio Zambrano Montes are back on the job.

The City of Pasco, Washington, announced Wednesday it’s putting two police officers back to work. The officers were put on leave after shooting farmworker Antonio Zambrano-Montes to death in February.

According to Pasco’s press release, the two returning police officers did not violate department procedures in the shooting of Zambrano-Montes. The third involved officer is no longer with the force.

The release said Zambrano-Montes was aggressive toward the Pasco officers, the police tried to talk him down and use less lethal force before shooting. Witnesses say he had been throwing rocks at a busy intersection before police came.

Scrutiny into the Pasco case isn’t over. The office of the Washington State Attorney General announced its own investigation into the Franklin County Prosecutor’s recent no-fault ruling. The prosecutor ruled earlier this month he wouldn’t charge the police officers.

There are still community protests, but the City of Pasco has pointed to ways it’s tried to open communication. That includes new Spanish-language social media sites and the “Coffee with a Cop” program.

Some of the family of Zambrano-Montes have filed a $25 million lawsuit against the City of Pasco and individual police officers.

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.