Independent autopsy contradicts police report in Latino’s shooting in Washington

An independent autopsy of a Mexican man who was shot and killed by police in Pasco, Washington has revealed a different story from what the special investigative force has claimed to be true: Mexican orchard worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes was shot at least twice in the back.

On Wednesday, the special unit investigating Zambrano-Montes’s death announced that none of the five or six bullets that killed the victim were shot from behind. However, the Associated Press reported that Charles Hermann, the lawyer for the victim’s family, had an independent autopsy commissioned, and the results contradicted the special unit’s findings.

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The independent autopsy, which was conducted by a pathologist in Seattle, found that at least two bullets entered through the back of Zambrano-Montes’s body.

Zambrano-Montes was shot and killed on February 10 after allegedly throwing rocks at police. A total of 17 bullets were unleashed on Zambrano-Montes, and at least five hit and killed him.

Community outrage over police shooting in Pasco

Zambrano-Montes’ death has sparked outage everywhere from Seattle to Mexico, and the victim’s widow has filed a $25 million claim against Pasco for killing an unarmed man who is a minority “execution style.”

“I’m asking for justice for what happened,” Zambrano-Montes’s mother, Agapita Montes, told CNN en Español this week. “It was not acceptable what they did to my son.”

The police allegedly tried using voice commands and Tasers to control Zambrano-Montes before resulting to deadly force after several police officers were hit by large rocks.

The family’s lawsuit against the city of Pasco claims that Zambrano-Montes, “had his back to the officers. At this point, the officers started shooting.”

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Zambrano-Montes’ death is still under investigation. The complete autopsy report is expected within the next month, and the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit is still reviewing videos and interviewing witnesses to determine whether or not the victim was wielding a weapon—in this case, rocks—when he was shot and killed.