“The Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCA) have filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump to prevent the tampering and destruction of evidence in the murder of 37-year-old Alex Pretty by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: CNN citing a press release from the Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office
Details: The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and their agents “removed evidence from the scene of the shooting,” preventing state authorities from conducting a proper investigation of the scene.
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The lawsuit is accompanied by a request for a temporary injunction. It was filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The filing is said to have been filed in cooperation with the state attorney general.
Officials with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation said DHS did not allow their Violent Crimes Unit to access the scene of the shooting. Federal agents ignored even the existence of a search warrant.
Despite the obstacle, the Bureau emphasized that they continue to participate in the investigation of the incident.
“Our prosecutor’s office has jurisdiction to review this case for possible criminal conduct by the federal agents involved, and we will do so,” said Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty.
She added that the lawsuit is just one of many steps taken by the prosecutor’s office to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation.
What preceded:
- The shooting happened on SaturdayJanuary 24, in Minneapolis (Minnesota). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Border Patrol agents opened fire in self-defense as the man appeared to approach officers with a gun.
- Simultaneously video of the incidentwhich is spreading in social networks and mass media, contradicts the statements of federal agencies. The footage shows people wearing masks and tactical vests struggling with a man in the street, after which shots rang out.
- Eyewitnesses of the event claim that the deceased was holding a phone, not a weapon. Before the killing, they said, he tried to help a woman who was pushed to the ground by an ICE agent.
- US President Donald Trump publicly expressed his support for the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who shot and killed a resident of Minneapolis.