The family of the man shot by Pasco police last week has requested a second independent autopsy in the case, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said Thursday.
A forensic pathologist performed an autopsy last week on the body of Antonio Zambrano-Montes. The details of the examination have not been disclosed.
Sant says his office is ready to release the body and welcomes an independent autopsy.
“It certainly wouldn’t be the first case to do a second autopsy and probably wont be the last,” he said.
Sant made the remarks at a news conference Thursday to discuss the ongoing investigation by the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit, a 15-member team primarily comprised of officers from four departments in Benton and Franklin counties.
The case is “a top priority” for the state crime lab in Cheney, officials said. That means investigators could have critical details in coming weeks to help determine if the shooting by three Pasco officers was justified.
Evidence in the Feb. 10 shooting was taken to the lab this past weekend and will be analyzed ahead of other cases across the state, officials said. It includes the three officers’ guns and uniforms, bullet fragments, Taser cartridges and toxicology tests.
The analysis could provide answers to important questions like whether Zambrano-Montes, 35, was under the influence during the confrontation and how many shots were fired by police.
“We hope to have information back from the crime lab sooner rather than later,” said Sgt. Ken Lattin, spokesperson for the unit.
The shooting of Zambrano-Montes, a local orchard worker who emigrated to the United States about a decade ago, has sparked protests around the state and outrage around the world against the actions of officers Ryan Flanagan, Adam Wright and Adrian Alaniz.
t appears all three officers fired at Zambrano-Montes, though it’s unclear who fired the fatal shots, Lattin said. Police have accounted for all the bullets fired, but they have not disclosed how many times he was shot.
Officials on Thursday alluded to possible injuries suffered by officers, but they did not release specifics.