WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Bernama-dpa) -- The United States (US) Department of Justice (DoJ) has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of its citizen Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed at a press conference on Friday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
The department's civil rights division is working with the FBI to investigate whether officers violated Pretti's civil rights in the incident, Blanche said. Constitutional rights protect against excessive force in the US.
Pretti, 37-year old nurse at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Centre in Minneapolis, was fatally shot last Saturday during an operation by federal officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Minneapolis.
After the incident, both traditional and social media aired video footage that contradicted initial statements from DHS, which said Pretti had threatened officials with a weapon.
DHS chief Kristi Noem quickly referred to Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" which outraged Pretti's friends and family.
Pretti's death and the federal authorities' actions in enforcing immigration policy sparked outrage and protests in Minnesota and across the country, with many critical of the shooting calling it an execution.
“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened, ” Blanche said at a press conference.
This includes video recordings, witness statements and other evidence.
The FBI is investigating, while the Department of Homeland Security is conducting its own investigation in parallel.
The decision has sparked a debate about why the Pretti case is being investigated as a possible civil rights violation, but not the death of Renée Good, who was also shot by federal officers in Minneapolis in early January.
--BERNAMA-dpa
