Federal Officials Halt Evidence Sharing in Minnesota Officer-Involved Shootings

Federal authorities have ceased sharing evidence with Minnesota officials investigating the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, according to recent court filings by state authorities.

Minnestoa officials sued the Trump administration in March, seeking evidence to independently investigate the deaths, which occurred during the administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. State prosecutors expressed distrust in the federal government's ability to investigate its own officers.

In July, state prosecutors announced the federal government had begun providing evidence, including body camera footage and interview recordings. However, Minnesota investigators stated in October court filings that the transfer of evidence stopped shortly thereafter. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota reportedly informed the state on September 10 that evidence sharing would be indefinitely paused due to unspecified "challenges with D.C."

State prosecutors have again petitioned a judge to compel federal agencies to release the outstanding evidence, asserting that federal authorities have provided "no legal authority or rational basis justifying their obstruction of state criminal investigations."

Attorneys for the Justice Department countered in a reply filing that the decision to withhold information from state authorities falls within their discretion, citing department rules known as the Touhy regulations. They argued these regulations only apply when formal legal proceedings are underway, and that no such case existed when Minnesota made its initial requests.

According to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, federal authorities still possess Good's clothing, the firearm used by the officer who killed her, and interview recordings that state authorities have not been able to access.

Renee Good, 37, a mother of three, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7 as she was leaving a Minneapolis protest. Bystander video appears to show Good in the driver's seat of an SUV, honking her horn, before masked immigration officers ordered her to exit the vehicle. As she began to move forward, an officer in front of the car fired at her windshield. The officer, positioned near the open driver's side window, then fired twice more, according to an analysis of the videos. Federal officials at the time stated the officer acted in self-defense.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed weeks later by a federal officer in Minneapolis. Both Good's and Pretti's deaths sparked nationwide protests against the Republican president's immigration enforcement policies.

No criminal charges have been filed in either shooting. Evans also noted that the federal government has not shared a recorded statement from the officer who shot Pretti, the firearms involved, the officers' cell phones, projectiles and casings, or a weapon confiscated from Pretti prior to his shooting.