Investigators raid office of Jackson's doctor
US government investigators raided the offices of Michael Jackson's doctor in search of evidence of manslaughter, the medic's lawyer said.
Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration spent two-and-a-half hours at Dr Conrad Murray's clinic in Houston, Texas, yesterday, while police officers guarded the front doors.
They left with 21 documents and a "forensic image" of a computer hard drive, Dr Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff said.
He added: "The search warrant authorised law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believe constituted evidence of the offence of manslaughter."
Dr Murray served as Jackson's personal physician and was with him when he died.
The doctor has been quizzed twice by police in Los Angles as part of their investigation, but has not been considered as a suspect. A third interview is expected to take place later this week
Before today's raid by federal drug agents, Mr Chernoff said investigators were seeking more information from his client and additional medical records.
The lawyer added: "The coroner wants to clear up the cause of death, we share that goal.
"Based on Dr Murray's minute-by-minute and item-by-item description of Michael Jackson's last days, he should not be a target of criminal charges."
Mr Chernoff also hit out at "erroneous media reports" concerning Dr Murray, adding that his client now needed round-the-clock protection and was unable to work.
The cause of Jackson's death at the age of 50 on June 25 has yet to be determined.
The coroner's office in Los Angeles is expected to release the results of the singer's post-mortem examination and toxicology tests next week. The Jackson family ordered a second private autopsy and are also awaiting the results.
Speculation has grown that they will show Jackson was on strong medication at the time of his death. The powerful anaesthetic propofol was reportedly found at Jackson's home by investigators.
To date, police have remained tight-lipped about the investigation, neither confirming nor denying the possibility of criminal charges being made.
To prove manslaughter, prosecutor would have to show that there were reckless actions that created a risk of death or great bodily injury.
