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A 35-year-old homeless man in Pasco, Wash. was shot and killed after throwing multiple rocks at two police officers in what Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger called “threatening” behavior.

Metzger said the officers first used a stun gun on the man, identified as Antonio Zambrano-Montes, but it had no effect. After Zambrano-Montes refused to put the remaining “softball size” rocks down, the officers opened fire.

The police chief said he does not know whether a weapon was found. Zambrano-Montes, whose last address was a homeless shelter, was pronounced dead on the scene.

Witnesses say the rocks thrown did not hit the officers.

Dario Infante, 21, of Pasco, recorded video (above) from a vehicle about 50 feet away as the scene unfolded. In an email interview, he said he decided to start recording when he saw an officer trying to use a stun gun on the man. Infante said he saw the man throw a few rocks at police officers but he didn’t see him hit any officers. Five “pops” are audible shortly after the video begins, and the man can be seen running away, across a street and down a sidewalk, pursued by three officers.

“He didn’t throw any rocks after he started running,” Infante said.

Another witness noted that the victim’s back was turned when he was shot dead by officers.

“I really thought they were just going walk up and tackle or tase him,” he said. “But they opened fire. His back was turned.”

Patrick’s wife, Shannon, also said the man was running away. The shooting happened in front of her young children.

“He turned around to take off running and the cops just shot him,” she said. “All he was trying to do was walk away.”

Other witnesses heard officers give the man orders to stop and drop the rock. They said the man refused to listen.

A cousin of Zambrano-Montes spoke to reporters about the force police used in the incident, saying the shooting “could have been avoided.”

“We just want justice because today it happened to us, tomorrow it could be any other family,” Blanca Zambrano, a cousin of Zambrano-Montes, told KNDO/KNDU. “It could have been avoided, there could have been other ways around it,” she continued in Spanish. “[The family] can’t believe it.”

She said Zambrano-Montes, who had two daughters, worked at an orchard and had lived in Pasco for more than 10 years. She said he recently suffered from depression after breaking both wrists in an accident at work.

The three officers on the scene have been identified as Ryan Flanagan, Adam Wright, and Adrian Alaniz. All three have been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation. This is the fourth fatal shooting involving an officer in Pasco in the last six months, according to the Chicago Tribune.

All officers involved in a fatal shooting during that time period have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

SOURCE: NBC, Chicago Tribune | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube

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