It was reported earlier this week that police officers in Pasco, Washington, shot dead Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who was throwing rocks at them. The relatives of the victim accused the officers of excessive use of force. A YouTube video showed Zambrano-Montes running away from police with his hands above his head before he was shot.
As part of the inquest all the facts related to the shooting will be presented to an independent jury, which will decide whether the police shootings were justified. It is needed to ensure transparency and inform the public about the circumstances of the case, coroner Dan Blasdel said, as reported by media.
Following the Pasco shooting, protests erupted in the city on Wednesday. Demonstrators were demanding that authorities investigate the case and hold the officers involved in the incident accountable.
The Missouri town of Ferguson has been at the forefront of mass protests after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed a black teenager, Michael Brown, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality in August last year.
In February, a poll conducted by the United Kingdom's ICM Research exclusively for Sputnik News Agency revealed that only 46 percent of US residents considered the police as the main factor ensuring their security.
