FEDERAL GRAND JURY BEGINS INVESTIGATION OF OREGON SHOOTING

A federal grand jury has begun an investigation into former police officers'
fatal shooting of Pedro Oregon Navarro, who was gunned down in his home in a
botched drug raid last summer.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined to say whether any witnesses
were called to testify on Wednesday or to confirm when the grand jury was
convened.

However, Oregon's brother, Rogelio Oregon, has been subpoenaed and will
testify at some point, said Chris Flood, the brother's attorney. Rogelio
Oregon was in the apartment the night his brother was killed.

Also expected to testify are Oregon's brother-in-law, Salvador Lopez, and a
family friend, Nellie Mejia, both of whom were in Oregon's apartment when he
was shot 12 times in the July 12 raid.

Flood said he was not sure when Rogelio Oregon will appear before the panel.
But he indicated it probably will not be this week.

``He (Rogelio) will cooperate fully with any grand jury investigation,"
Flood said.

Paul Nugent, the Oregon family attorney, said Lopez and Mejia also were
subpoenaed and will testify on Friday.

Flood and Nugent declined to say what they expect their clients to tell the
grand jury.

``The entire Oregon family is hoping that the federal investigators can
expose the truth and the family is standing by, ready and willing to
cooperate," Nugent said.

This is the second time the case has gone before a grand jury.

A state grand jury in October cleared five of the officers of any criminal
wrongdoing. The sixth officer involved in the shooting was indicted on a
misdemeanor charge of trespassing.

The failure to obtain felony indictments sparked angry protests and led to a
federal civil rights investigation.

FBI Special Agent Don Clark, head of the bureau's Houston division, said his
investigation was prompted by complaints about the state grand jury's
handling of the case.

The only complainants he identified were Mayor Lee Brown and Mexican Consul
General Manuel Perez Cardenas.

The federal grand jury's investigation is expected to take several weeks.

Oregon, 22, was struck nine times in the back, once in the back of the head,
once in the back of the shoulder and once in the back of a hand.

Although a gun was found in the apartment, it had not been fired.

The officers have said Oregon pointed the gun at them and that he advanced
on them. No drugs were found in the apartment and the officers had no
warrant.

The six officers also face a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Oregon's
family.