Letter: Coroner to be commended for asserting right to hold shooting inquest

I commend Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel for asserting his right to hold an inquest on the Pasco police shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes. Contrary to the opinion of Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant, there is a larger community interest in seeing justice for Zambrano and his family.

I am among those citizens who have been horrified by the shooting in downtown Pasco, which endangered nearby community members far more than Zambrano’s actions did.

Changes to city and police policies and procedures must be paramount in order to assure that this type of incident will not be repeated.

Police must be trained to respect the right to life of all persons and to use only sufficient necessary force to subdue an offender without lethal violence.

I am disappointed by the findings of Sant’s office. Perhaps Blasdel will obtain a more satisfactory outcome.

This story was originally published April 17, 2016 at 12:06 AM with the headline "Letter: Coroner to be commended for asserting right to hold shooting inquest."