Mexico Slams No Prosecution of US Police Who Killed Unarmed Man

Mexico criticized a U.S. decision to not prosecute police officers who fatally shot a Mexican man—caught on video unarmed — in 2015 in Washington state.

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Mexico's Foreign Ministry expressed "deep disappointment" in the Justice Department's decision not to bring criminal charges against the officers responsible for the death of Antonio Zambrano Montes on Feb. 10, 2015.

A bystander captured the moment on video, showing 35-year-old Zambrano Montes running from three officers in the city of Pasco before throwing his hands up, being hit by bullets and falling to the ground.

The video's release prompted major demonstrations and drew international attention.

The U.S. attorney's office of the Eastern District of Washington said in a statement that "there is no reliable testimonial or physical evidence that refutes the accounts provided by the officers that they believed the force they used was necessary to protect themselves and to stop a perceived threat."

Zambrano Montes had allegedly been throwing rocks at cars and police officers.

"The perception of impunity and lack of transparency will continue to breach the relationship of trust that should prevail between police forces and the minorities of their communities," the ministry's statement said.

The Foreign Ministry has recorded the deaths of more than 70 Mexicans killed under similar circumstances in the United States, and fewer than a dozen of their families have received financial compensation.