Federal Freeze Blocks Minnesota's ICE Shooting Probes

Federal investigators stopped sharing evidence with Minnesota authorities as the state investigated the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. That left state investigators without access to key material in both cases. In court filings Tuesday, Minnesota investigators said the Justice Department still hadn’t provided evidence, including a statement from one of the officers who shot Pretti.

Evidence Held by Federal Authorities

The missing statement matters to the Hennepin County attorney’s investigation into Pretti’s killing, according to the filings. State investigators also haven’t been allowed to access the cellphone of the agent who fatally shot Good, Good’s clothing, the firearms used to shoot Pretti, the gun Pretti possessed, or other physical evidence collected at the scene.

Drew Evans, superintendent of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), listed the evidence in a sworn statement. The list includes projectiles and shell casings. Court records filed Tuesday say Minnesota investigators earlier received evidence from federal law enforcement, including Good’s vehicle, the gun used to shoot her, body-worn camera footage, officer statements and other material.

The evidence-sharing arrangement followed negotiations between the U.S. attorney’s office for Minnesota and the BCA, the state’s lead investigative agency. Those negotiations began in late June and lasted three weeks. During the cooperation, Minnesota investigators also shared evidence their agents collected with federal agents.

Cooperation Ends

The next month, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty thanked federal prosecutors at a press conference for sharing evidence. At the time, she said she believed her office had received all evidence in both cases or would get it soon. Within days, federal officials stopped cooperating with local authorities, the state said in filings. Moriarty’s team later found that key evidence hadn’t been shared.

Moriarty said in a sworn statement that she repeatedly contacted Daniel Rosen, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, asking him to resume evidence-sharing. Rosen told her several times that his office was “pausing” cooperation but was “optimistic” more information could be shared “soon.” On September 10, he told Moriarty the office would stop sharing evidence “indefinitely,” citing “challenges with D.C.”

Moriarty said she “was left with the understanding” that federal authorities wouldn’t provide additional evidence to state and local investigators “unless and until there was a change in policy on that sharing coming out of Washington D.C.” The filings say the change could hamper Minnesota’s inquiries into both fatal shootings.

Other Investigation and State Response

Minnesota authorities are also seeking evidence related to the non-fatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis. The ICE officer, Christian Castro, faces state and federal charges related to the shooting and investigation. Minnesota authorities are pursuing access to evidence in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Moriarty described the evidence-sharing cutoff as unusual in her sworn statement. “Indeed, in all other matters including complex homicide cases, mass shootings, drug and gun cases, and many other types of cases, collaboration and information sharing with federal officials continues as normal,” she wrote. “The pause on information sharing is unique to these matters.” CNN said it had contacted the Justice Department and the Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office for comment.