Group urges federal investigation of Pasco police shooting

PASCO, Wash. (AP) — The leader of a Hispanic group in Pasco is asking the Justice Department to investigate the fatal police shooting last week in Pasco.

Consejo Latino Chairman Felix Vargas says he supports law enforcement in general but he believes there's a conflict of interest in the investigation by a local law enforcement team, the multi-agency Tri-City Special Investigations Unit. He says a federal investigation could accompany the local investigation.

A 35-year-old man who threw rocks at cars and officers, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, was shot last Tuesday as he tried to run away. Police said officers fired because they felt threatened. Zambrano-Montes was not armed with a gun or knife.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Vargas says the constitutional rights of Zambrano-Montes were violated.