The Department of Justice has reportedly declined to launch a civil rights investigation into the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti at the hands of Department of Homeland Security officers.
Internal records reviewed by MS NOW indicated that two DHS units would take responsibility for investigating their own department.
Homeland Security Investigations was expected to probe whether Pretti broke any laws, while a Customs and Border Protection office would decide if its agents followed department rules when conducting the shooting.
“All evidence, excluding firearms and casings, was turned over to DHS,” an FBI document obtained by MS NOW said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said that the federal government was not sharing evidence despite President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the state would be allowed to conduct an independent investigation.
“The fact that this investigation has already been taken by the agency involved [DHS} speaks to them not wanting any outside agency having access to the evidence nor the ability to take statements from the agents involved,” former FBI agent Rob D’Amico told MS NOW.
The news that the DOJ will not investigate Pretti’s death comes less than two months after its Civil Rights Division unveiled a gun rights-focused section of attorneys. Some experts speculated that Pretti was wrongly killed because he had been legally carrying a holstered firearm.
“We’re doing a big investigation,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “I want to see the investigation; I’m going to be watching over it.”
The president also vowed that the investigation would be “very honorable and honest.”
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