Representative Luis Moscoso (D-Mountlake Terrace), who represents north Kirkland residents from the 1st District, has issued the following statement in response to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s decision not to file charges in the shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes of Pasco:

“Yesterday the Franklin County prosecutor determined that there was insufficient evidence to charge the officer involved in the Pasco shooting incident. Although I believe the prosecutor upheld his legal duty, I support Governor Inslee’s request for the Attorney General to conduct a review of the charging decision.

Tensions are high on both sides of this issue; that is only natural. But it is important that we all continue to engage and work together towards collaborative solutions. Doing so will require both a thorough and diligent evaluation of all the facts in this case, and an ongoing effort to improve our criminal justice system to avoid future tragedies.

The House Public Safety Committee has already been working to address many of the systemic issues facing our criminal justice system. We have partnered with Sue Rahr, the director of the Criminal Justice Training Commission, to push for better use of deadly force, community policing, and crisis intervention practices across our state.

These are important changes, but we can and must do better. In the wake of this decision, I am committed to reviewing the high bar for criminal prosecution of law enforcement officers under Washington state law. If we hope to accomplish any real change, however, we must have everyone at the table moving forward.”