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STATEMENT BY DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee today met with family members and friends of J.R. Warren, and representatives from the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

Following the meeting, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement:

"Today I had the opportunity to meet with family members of J.R. Warren, and other concerned parties. It was an informative, disturbing and emotional meeting about a senseless and brutal killing.

"During today's meeting, I had the opportunity to hear from Mr. Warren's parents and listen to information that they shared pertaining to the killing of their son.

"The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney's office in Wheeling, has opened a preliminary investigation into this incident.

"I am concerned about the circumstances surrounding this incident. We will continue to work cooperatively with local authorities in this matter to determine what if any additional federal action is warranted."

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