State calls for federal investigation of Wapato police shooting

The state Commission on Hispanic Affairs is calling for a federal investigation into a Wapato police officer’s fatal shooting of a domestic violence suspect.

The commission said the shooting of Mario Martinez Torres on July 31 drew “stark parallels” to the controversial 2015 shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes by Pasco police. Zambrano-Montes was fatally shot after throwing rocks at officers.

Federal prosecutors declined to pursue charges in the Pasco case.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Spokane, which handled the federal review of the Pasco case, said she was not able Tuesday to address questions about the commission’s request.

Commission chairwoman Gloria Ochoa also was not available.

Wapato police said an officer shot 38-year-old Martinez Torres after he took one officer’s Taser, fired it at another officer and was turning on the first officer, who was trapped in a bathtub following a struggle with Martinez Torres.

Officers had gone to the home to investigate a report that Martinez Torres had assaulted his girlfriend.

“The death of Mr. Martinez Torres is indicative of the community’s perception that a culture of violence towards men of color by law enforcement in the Yakima Valley and Tri-Cities area persists,” the commission said in its statement, released Monday evening.

“Accountability for law enforcement officers, especially when the decision is made to use lethal force, is paramount to maintaining law enforcement-community relations,” the commission said. “The Commission’s position is that respect, high regard and support for law enforcement and holding law enforcement officers accountable to the expected standards of conduct that value life are not mutually exclusive.”

Martinez Torres’ death is being investigated by Yakima police at the request of Wapato police Chief Rick Needham.

Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Brusic said he expects the bulk of the investigation to be complete within a week or two.

Last week, Brusic said he expected the investigation to be properly handled by local police and that he would make a decision as to whether the shooting was justified, rather than seeking help from other agencies.

“From everything that I have seen the investigation is being done very well and very professionally by the Yakima Police Department,” Brusic said. “I have no concerns as to that investigation.”

The Commission on Hispanic Affairs was established in 1971. It monitors policy regarding Hispanic residents and advises the governor and the Legislature.

In June, the commission expressed dismay that the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington had declined to file civil rights violations against three Pasco police officers who fatally shot Zambrano-Montes, who it described as a mentally ill, unarmed immigrant undergoing a mental health crisis.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "State calls for federal investigation of Wapato police shooting."