Thousands of fans demand grand jury investigation into Prince’s death

Thousands of Prince fans are lobbying the US Attorney Office in Minnesota for a grand jury investigation into Prince’s death on April 2016 and bring whoever supplied the fatal fentanyl drug be held accountable.

A petition generated 6,000 signatures.

The case of the rock star’s death has been closed after federal, state and county law enforcement officers spent close to two years investigating what they call was “an accidental overdose” from the painkiller which he used for hip pain.

However, they gave up trying to find – or identify – the supplier after the slim evidence unearthed showed that no criminal evidence could be filed.

Nicole Welage, one of the organisers behind the petition said, “We want justice to be served.”

She and the other fans looked through 214 pages of documents from the investigation, as well as the transcript of the emergency call made from Prince’s Paisley Park property after his body was found.

They say that more answers are needed and that a grand jury would be able to supply these.

“He led a clean life, and he’s being completely painted as a drug overdose — another Elvis,” Welage said. “We don’t believe that’s what happened.”

The early investigation revealed that a search of Prince’s house showed that “controlled substances” were stored in containers around the place, rather than in prescription pill bottles.

Much of the inquiry appeared to focus on Prince’s bodyguard, Kirk Johnson, and also looked at Dr. Michael Schulenberg, who had begun treating Prince on April 7, 2016, just weeks before his death.

Prince apparently had no regular doctor. Johnson reportedly contacted Schulenberg, to help the performer with his hip pain.