Updated — Feb. 23, 2015 11:57 a.m. ET
An attorney for the widow of Antonio Zambrano-Montes — a 35-year-old unarmed man who was fatally shot by police in the city of Pasco earlier this month, withdrew a $25 million claim against the city, the Tri-City Herald reported.
Attorney Charles Herrman told the Tri-City Herald that the claim, filed on Feb. 13, was premature, badly planned and done without the consent of his widow, Teresa de Jesus Meraz Ruiz.
The $25 million claim, filed by the family's former attorney George Paul Trejo Jr., said that the three police officers involved in the shooting of Zambrano-Montes used excessive force and their actions were an "unjustified use of deadly force against a person whose conduct was in throwing rocks at an earlier time, prior to the shooting." The claim said that Zambrano-Montes posed no danger to the officers who shot and killed him "execution style."
Trejo said Herrmann's allegation that the claim was filed without the family's consent was a "flat-out lie."
Herrmann's firm plans to investigate the shooting and the Pasco police department's policies on dealing with the mentally ill and non-English speakers.
From the Tri-City Herald:
The Herrmann Scholbe firm plans to investigate the shooting and the Pasco police department for "viciously gunning down an unarmed man," Herrmann wrote in the email. They will examine the department's policies regarding dealing with people who are mentally ill or don't speak English, as well as whether there is a history of mistreatment and abuse within the department.
Herrmann said that the claim will be refiled after more research and investigation into the shooting, the Associated Press reported.
Zambrano-Montes' death, which was captured in a graphic video, sparked protests in Pasco and Seattle.
The protest attracted hundreds of people in Pasco, including Zambrano-Montes' family members.