U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
But Blanche sought to downplay the significance of the probe, calling it a “standard investigation.”
“I don’t want to overstate what’s happening,” Blanche said Jan. 30 during a news conference announcing the release of new Jeffrey Epstein files.
“I don’t want the takeaway to be that there’s some massive civil rights investigation that’s happening. This is what I would describe as a standard investigation by the FBI when there’s circumstances like what we saw last Saturday.”
But it’s a significant development because the DOJ’s civil rights division has the ability to conduct “pattern-or-practice” investigations, which can result in policy changes, including around excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it is leading an investigation into Pretti’s shooting. That investigation is separate, and Blanche said he expects it to continue. He also said the FBI is investigating the shooting.
Blanche would not say if the DOJ planned to conduct a similar civil rights investigation into the shooting of Renee Good, who was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
“Cases are handled differently by this department depending on the circumstances,” he said.
