Questions linger after Justice Department's decision to turn over evidence in Good, Pretti shootings

MINNEAPOLIS – Federal officials still have not acknowledged turning over their evidence from the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two days after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced state law enforcement officials had finally received it.

Multiple requests by the Minnesota Star Tribune for comment on who authorized the exchange and what led to the reversal in the federal government’s stance on sharing the evidence have gone unanswered by the White House, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On Monday, Moriarty announced the evidence exchange shortly after the Star Tribune reported that it had been taking place for nearly two weeks without public acknowledgment by the federal government or state law enforcement.

“The wonderful thing is now we have all the evidence,” she said. “We don’t have to speculate about what we don’t have.”

Moriarty said the new information will allow state investigators to be more thorough in determining whether or not to charge federal agents with crimes in connection with the killings.

But what prompted the change of heart on behalf of the federal government has yet to be explained. It comes after months of Minnesota law enforcement officials arguing in public and in court filings that they were hamstrung without it.

State investigators tasked with reviewing uses of force by federal agents were blocked from accessing crucial material that would allow them to conduct independent investigations into the killing of Good and Pretti during Operation Metro Surge. Despite the shutout by the federal government, investigative efforts at the local level pressed on.

Over the past several weeks, the impasse appeared to break. In a significant reversal, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office turned over critical amounts of evidence in the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti, according a person familiar with the exchange. The evidence included the SUV that Good was driving in when she was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross. It also included hard drives of digital evidence in each killing that featured body camera footage and interviews with federal agents related to the shootings.

Praising the exchange, Gov. Tim Walz told reporters on Tuesday the development signals a “change in posture” by the federal government under new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security.

Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the head of the agency in March, replacing former Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw Homeland Security during Operation Metro Surge. President Donald Trump fired Noem after mounting criticism over her handling of the immigration crackdown and natural disaster responses.

Walz said he spoke at length on Monday night with Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who reported that unlike in Minnesota, Maine investigators were “immediately” allowed on the scene to collect evidence after federal agents fatally shot a man during a traffic stop.

“This was such an outlier that we were not included in that,” Walz said.

The evidence exchange was announced as the U.S. Senate is slated to take up the confirmation hearing of acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who declined to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of Good. He opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death days after he was killed.

Federal immigration officials privately made another significant shift in tactics on Tuesday by directing ICE agents to pause most vehicle stops nationwide following two deadly shootings in Texas and Maine in one week.

The frosty relationship between Minnesota law enforcement officials and the federal government showed signs of thawing on June 30, when Minnesota officials, who had filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for allegedly withholding federal evidence from state investigators, asked a federal judge to push back deadlines in the state’s lawsuit “in light of ongoing discussions” between the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI.

The request came just weeks after the U.S. Attorney’s Office asked the BCA for its evidence in the investigation into agent Christian Castro, who stands charged in Hennepin County District Court with allegedly shooting Julio Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14 and lying about it.

In response, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans emphasized the state’s repeated efforts to obtain evidence from the federal government. He replied that the state was willing to share evidence if it was done reciprocally “as we have always done.”

On Monday, Evans said in a statement that “great strides have been made in ensuring both state and federal authorities have access to pertinent information” but did not mention specific evidence.

Hours after Moriarty’s announcement, Steve Schleicher, the attorney representing the Pretti family, said U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen “refused to confirm any cooperation agreement between state and federal agencies.”

A spokesperson for Schleicher confirmed the meeting lasted an hour and Rosen refused to answer even basic questions about the status of the evidence in Pretti’s case.

“No family should be required to beg federal authorities to do their job,” Schleicher said. “Without a public commitment by federal authorities to cooperate with the state, it is difficult — if not, impossible — to pursue justice that holds the individuals accountable for Alex’s death.”

—Allison Kite of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.