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Feds to Review Cases into Hanging Deaths of 2 Black Men

Associated Press

   LOS ANGELES - Federal authorities will review local investigations into
   the hanging deaths of two black men in Southern California to determine
   whether federal law was violated, officials said Monday.

   Local authorities have said there is no evidence of foul play in the
   deaths of Robert Fuller in Palmdale and Malcolm Harsch in Victorville
   and early indications point both to suicide, but sheriffs have pledged
   to continue to investigate the cases.

   Monday's announcement follows weekend protests, which were prompted by
   the initial determination of suicide as the likely cause of death for
   Fuller.

   People who participated in a town hall hosted by Los Angeles County
   Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Monday also voiced concerns that Fuller and
   Harsch may have been lynched. The callers denounced what they described
   as a rush to judgment and urged investigators tolook intothe
   possibility that hate crimes were committed.

   The FBI, U.S. attorney's office in the Central District of California
   and the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division are
   monitoring the investigations of the Los Angeles County and San
   Bernardino County sheriffs, authorities said in a statement.

   The city of Palmdale issued a statement supporting an independent
   inquiry, and three elected officials urged California Attorney General
   Xavier Becerra to lead the probe. Becerra said for now his
   investigators will just support the sheriff's department, "though we
   also have the ability to do it on our own if necessary."

   Fuller's body was discovered around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in a park near
   City Hall. An autopsy was conducted Friday and the Los Angeles County
   medical examiner-coroner's office said the 24-year-old man appeared to
   have died by suicide.

   The finding prompted outcry by his family, who believed he wasn't
   suicidal, and community members who called for an independent
   investigation and autopsy. More than 1,000 people turned out for a
   protest and memorial Saturday around the tree where Fuller's body was
   found about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.

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