LULAC'S LEADER ASKS FEDS TO PROBE SHOOTING

The national president of LULAC has urged Justice Department officials
to investigate the fatal shooting of a young Hispanic man by Houston
police officers.

Though the Justice Department is not investigating the shooting of
Pedro Oregon Navarro, 22, it is monitoring the case while local
authorities gather evidence, said department spokeswoman Karen
Guerriero. She said the department will communicate with Houston
police as the case progresses.

On Wednesday, Rick Dovalina, national president of the League of
United Latin American Citizens, met with the acting assistant attorney
general in charge of civil rights. He said he was assured the FBI
would investigate.

"I didn't want this to fall through the cracks," said Dovalina, who
lives in Houston. "The bottom line is they shot an innocent young man
in the back after an illegal entry."

On July 12, officers raided Oregon's apartment in the 6700 block of
Atwell after an informant told them drugs were being sold there. They
had no search warrant.

Once inside the apartment, the police kicked down his bedroom door and
gunfire began. Oregon was shot 12 times, nine times in the back.

Sources have told the Chronicle that the gunfire began when an officer
shouted that Oregon had a gun. One officer was shot by another officer.

Tests showed that Oregon's gun was never fired.

Dovalina told reporters Thursday that the case is of national
significance to Hispanics.

"It's a Hispanic in a poor neighborhood so there's an assumption drugs
are involved. These assumptions concern us," Dovalina said. "Would
this have happened in Tanglewood? I doubt it."

Tanglewood is a predominantly white upper-middle-class
neighborhood.

Dovalina said that when he met with Justice officials in Washington,
D.C., he gave them a copy of the autopsy report and newspaper clippings.

The local office of LULAC also plans to put pressure on local and
national investigators. LULAC wants them to know that someone is watching.

"There were Hispanics before who were who were afraid of police. This
won't help matters," said Johnny Mata, president of the local LULAC
organization.

HPD spokesman Robert Hurst said: "The Houston Police Department is
continuing its investigation into the Oregon case in cooperation with
the Harris County District Attorney's Office. We welcome the FBI's
monitoring of the investigation and we will be responsive to any
requests which the bureau may have."

Copyright 1998 Houston Chronicle

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"