US Justice Dept opens civil rights probe into Alex Pretti shooting, official says

‌The U.S. Justice Department has started a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, a senior official said on Friday. The ⁠department's investigation could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case.

‌The U.S. Justice Department has started a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, a senior official said on Friday.

The ⁠department's investigation could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI was examining Saturday's shooting with potential assistance from the department's Civil ​Rights Division, which typically plays a leading role in investigations into use of force by law enforcement. He cautioned ‍the review was preliminary and he downplayed its scope.

"This is what I would describe as a standard investigation by the FBI when there's circumstances like what we saw last Saturday," Blanche said at a news conference. Pretti's shooting by immigration agents has stirred widespread outrage and prompted the Trump ⁠administration to de-escalate ‌its immigration crackdown in ⁠Minnesota. Local officials have said the administration cannot be trusted and are pursuing their own investigation.

A preliminary review by U.S. Customs and Border Protection said ‍Pretti, 37, was shot by two federal officers, a Border Patrol agent and a customs officer. Pretti was the second protester to be ​shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. Video of the encounter verified by Reuters showed ⁠Pretti holding a cell phone as he was wrestled to the ground by agents. Video evidence also showed that an officer removed a gun from Pretti's body ⁠shortly before the first shots were fired.

Blanche's statement followed days of uncertainty over the nature of DOJ's involvement in the probe. A Justice Department official told Reuters earlier this week that a criminal civil rights investigation would only ⁠begin if warranted by evidence. A DHS official said in a sworn court statement following the shooting that DHS was ⁠the lead investigative entity.

The department has ‌so far not opened a criminal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month. Blanche previously said ⁠there was no basis for a criminal probe.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)