National

Slain Mexican Man’s Family Views Body, Seeks ‘Justice’

Published

10 years ago

February 24, 2015

In this Feb. 18, 2015 photo, a sign welcomes motorists to Pasco, Wash. For the past week, protesters have gathered daily in front of the City Hall in this agricultural community to protest the fatal shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, an unarmed man who was running away from police at a crowded intersection. (Nicholas K. Geranios/AP Photo)

PASCO, Wash. (AP) — The 60-year-old mother of an unarmed Mexican man fatally shot by police officers in Washington state fainted when she viewed her son’s body for the first time, her lawyer says.

Antonio Zambrano-Montes was killed Feb. 10 in Pasco, the gunfire captured on video by a witness. The death has sparked two weeks of protests in this city along the Columbia River in the southeastern part of the state.

The victim’s mother, Agapita Montes-Rivera, spoke to reporters Monday before entering a funeral home with other family members.

“I want people to understand my pain,” the woman from tiny Parotita, Mexico, said through an interpreter. “It’s really hard. … When I saw the video, I felt really bad. That’s why I asked for justice.”

Her attorney, Benjamin Crump, said she fainted when she first saw her son’s body Monday afternoon.

Authorities say Zambrano-Montes, a 35-year-old Mexican immigrant and former orchard worker, was throwing rocks at officers and a stun gun failed to subdue him. The Franklin County coroner has ordered an inquest into the death, which is being reviewed by a regional task force. The investigation is being monitored by federal authorities.

“We want justice; that’s all we want,” the victim’s sister, Rosa Elena Zambrano-Montes, 28, said through an interpreter.

Crump, the high-profile attorney who represented the family of Michael Brown, a black man killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, said he’ll represent Zambrano-Montes’ family. Crump was in Pasco meeting with family members.

“At the heart of the matter is what’s going on with what we see on that video — is it appropriate or not?” Crump, who is based in Florida, told The Associated Press.

“The No. 1 thing they said is, ‘We don’t want them to say that the police acted appropriately,'” said Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager killed in a confrontation with neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 in that case.

In a video recording by Dario Infante Zuniga, 21, of Pasco, five “pops” are audible, and Zambrano-Montes can be seen running away, pursued by three officers. As the officers draw closer, he stops, turns around and faces them. Multiple “pops” are heard, and the man falls to the ground.

Crump said Zambrano-Montes spoke no English and was an immigrant living in the country illegally.

Felix Vargas, head of the Pasco Hispanic rights group Consejo Latino, said a Seattle-based Justice Department official met with his group Sunday. The official said meetings are planned this week with local authorities, Vargas said.

Pasco is a fast-growing agricultural city of 68,000, where more than half the residents are Hispanic but few are members of the police force or the power structure.

The killing was the fourth by Pasco police in less than a year. Officers were exonerated after similar investigations in the first three cases. Critics in the latest case say the officers should have used less than lethal force to subdue Zambrano-Montes.

“Zambrano-Montes had his hands up. Why did you have to shoot him?” Crump asked.

Police said officers felt threatened. Zambrano-Montes was arrested last year for assault after throwing objects at Pasco officers and trying to grab an officer’s pistol, court records show.

Authorities have said Zambrano-Montes was not armed with a gun or knife when he was killed. Whether he had a rock in his hand when he was shot is still under investigation.

Two of the officers involved were white, and the other Hispanic. All three opened fire, though the number of shots has not been disclosed.

Last week, investigators asked for patience as the investigation continues.

Crump said the Pasco case is similar to other high-profile killings involving police officers.

“All the young people are protesting that Antonio had his hands up based on what they saw in the video, and he had no weapons,” Crump said. “And just like in New York, it shows the graphic last moments of Eric Garner’s life, here you have a video that shows the graphic last moments of Antonio’s life.”

In December, a grand jury in New York declined to indict an officer in Garner’s chokehold death.

Meanwhile, another attorney who says he’s representing Zambrano-Montes’ family says he wants to temporarily withdraw a $25 million claim filed by Zambrano-Montes’ widow and two daughters against the city after the shooting. Attorney Charles Herrmann of Tacoma said Monday the claim was premature.

___

Abdollah reported from Los Angeles.

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IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

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Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.

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“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

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U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.

The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”

Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.