The Washington state police officers who shot and killed Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an immigrant farmworker, who was allegedly throwing rocks at cars and officers, have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Pasco Police Chief Robert Metzger said that the officers involved did not violate the department’s policies and procedures. Officers Adam Wright and Adrian Alaniz will return to work immediately. The third officer involved in the shooting, Ryan Flanagan, resigned from the department in June.
“We have exhaustively reviewed the incident, and my decision to return the officers to duty was founded on the determination that their actions were consistent with the Department’s policies and procedures” Metzger said in a statement.
The February 10 incident, which was captured on video, shows Zambrano-Montes, 35, tussling with an officer. Another officer appears to draw a gun and open fire. The officers reportedly fired 17 shots, five or six of which struck Zambrano-Montes.
A toxicology report said Zambrano-Montes was under the influence of methamphetamine, at levels that were over three times the median range for DUI cases, when he was shot.
Last week prosecutors declined to file charges against the three officers.
“It is the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office decision that the use of lethal force by the officers in this case was reasonable under the standards established in our state laws and that no criminal charges can be filed in this case,” Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said.
The independent police report was conducted by the Police Policy Studies Council of Spofford, N.H. According to the report, witness statements also corroborated the officer’s observations.
The police department is also implementing changes to improve community relations, such as coordinating meetings with local clergy and launching Spanish language versions of social media accounts.
Zambrano-Montes family has filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Pasco.
“It will come down to a judgement as to whether Antonio objectively represented a threat of grievous bodily harm to police," attorney Charles Hermann said last week.