UPDATE 1-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 federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, a senior official said on ⁠Friday.

The U.S. Justice Department has started a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers 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 agents taking part in an immigration crackdown has stirred widespread outrage and prompted the Trump administration to make changes in the operation ⁠in Minnesota. Local ‌officials have said the administration ⁠cannot be trusted and are pursuing their own investigation. "The family's focus is on a fair and impartial investigation that examines the facts around his murder," Steve Schleicher, ‍an attorney representing the Pretti family, told Reuters in a statement.

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 ⁠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.

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