Calm, Patience Needed During Pasco Shooting Investigation

Right now, all we have are a bunch of puzzle pieces or clues, but none have really been joined together.

It goes without saying that the fatal Pasco shooting Tuesday night was tragic.  But for anyone to pronounce premature judgement is not only not helping, it's dangerous.

On one hand we have an individual who does have a previous history of dealings with the police. A previous assault charge, violent behavior. There doesn't appear to be any history of documented psychological issues with Antonio Zambrano-Montes, but he did have a documented history with authorities of erratic behavior. That included a January, 2014 incident when he was accused of  hitting cars with a broom, then resisting arrest while admittedly under the influence of meth. Court records indicate in 2006 a protective order was filed by a woman with whom he had a nine-year relationship and had two daughters, claiming violent abusive behavior. Teresa D. Meraz Ruiz described it in court documents as "volatile behavior."    Montes was arrested recently for failure to pay his fine and court costs stemming from the January, 2014 incident, but has no other known criminal record.

During the January 2014 incident, he tried to take the service revolver away from Pasco Officer Adam Brewster, and had to be tazered so officers could arrest him.

Family members also say he was dealing with depression, stemming in part from being separated from his two daughters who live with Ruiz in California. He had also suffered injuries while working in an orchard.

On the other hand you have Pasco police, who in 2009 were accused of racial profiling and pressing the face of a Hispanic woman on the hood of a hot car, burning her. The city settled that case for $100,000. One of the officers involved in the shooting was involved in that case as well. There have been three other fatal shootings in Pasco in the last three months, officers were cleared in those incidents.

Pasco police officials are defending the officers and say if they acted wrongly, the independent investigation will bear that out.

Then there are the numerous cellphone videos that capture various parts of the incident, along with claims Montes was shot while running away. Others say his hands were up. There is so much information floating out there for people to draw conclusions from.

But these are just pieces of evidence that while they play a role in the incident, none of them conclusively answers the question: What exactly transpired between the officers and Montes that led to the fatal shooting?

It is going to take a lengthy and difficult investigation to get to a truthful conclusion. Protests supporting each side have already taken place, more are planned. People from all over America are weighing in on this highly charged issue, and in some cases, on either side, those outside voice are NOT helping.

But as the family of Montes has urged, there is a need for peace. According to KREM-2 TV,  Montes' relatives want peace, and obviously and fairly, they want answers. We all do.

But until the investigation is completed, the best we can do is stare at the facts, these pieces of the puzzle, and not draw premature conclusions. That only clouds the issue and makes it worse for everyone involved, and our communities.

Let's show the rest of the nation that we know how to properly address a difficult and highly emotionally charged issue the right way.