Letter: Pasco officer’s attempt to block coroner’s inquest is no surprise
Officer Ryan Flanagan’s role in the killing of Antonio Zambrano-Montes was the most odious of the three Pasco cops involved. Therefore, his attempt to block the coroner’s inquest (TCH, April 26) comes as no surprise.
According to the statements of officers Adrian Alaniz and Adam Wright, together they fired 5 times at Zambrano-Montes. Therefore, Flanagan, who conveniently couldn’t remember when interviewed, fired 12 of the 17 shots. If the outcome weren’t so tragic, Flanagan’s statement about fearing for the safety of people in the area would be a joke. One of his bullets landed in a convenience store hundreds of feet from the fleeing victim and a number of his bullets have never been recovered. He sprayed the busiest intersection in Pasco with 12 rounds from his sidearm.
To date, his only questioning has been from friendly fellow police who prompted him to describe one of the rocks as the size of a cantaloupe, and told him, “Keep in mind that dumb people will listen to your statement.”
Answering real questions — not from police investigating police — must be a scary thought for him. But, his attempt to stymie the process makes it even more imperative that it go forward.
Lillian ‘Randy’ Slovic, Richland
This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 1:25 AM with the headline "Letter: Pasco officer’s attempt to block coroner’s inquest is no surprise."