FBI Formally Denies Minnesota Access to Evidence in ICE Agents’ Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti

The Trump administration has formally denied Minnesota law enforcement officials access to evidence and information regarding the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents, state officials confirmed Monday.The denial marks a significant escalation in tensions between state and federal authorities over the handling of recent violent incidents involving federal agents in the Twin Cities.“The FBI formally notified the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) on Feb. 13 that it will not provide the BCA with access to any information or evidence that it has collected in the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement Monday.“The BCA reiterated the request to receive information, access to evidence, and cooperation in the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good and the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. It remains unclear if there will be any cooperation or sharing of information related to those two shootings,” he said.Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24 while filming their immigration enforcement actions. Two weeks earlier, Good was fatally shot by an immigration officer, with an autopsy showing gunshot wounds to her head, chest and arm.Mr. Evans was not pleased with the federal government’s refusal to share. “While this lack of cooperation is concerning and unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of these incidents, even if hampered by a lack of access to key information and evidence,” he said.According to witnesses, Pretti was filming agents when several of them piled on him in an attempt to handcuff him. During the struggle, at least two officers fired multiple shots, killing Pretti at the scene. State investigators were subsequently denied access to the crime scene by federal agents, despite possessing a judicial warrant.The breakdown in cooperation comes after weeks of apparent progress in federal-state relations. Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota earlier this month said that the state and federal governments were “very close” to an agreement on sharing investigative materials. “We’re only asking for what’s always been done,” Mr. Walz said. “We’re only asking for the right thing. … Justice needs to be served.”Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty criticized the federal government’s stance, suggesting it reflects a lack of confidence in the agents’ conduct.“The federal government’s refusal to cooperate shows it is not confident in their agents’ actions or their immediate response,” Ms. Moriarty said in a statement, the Star Tribune reported. She emphasized that the state’s independent investigation would proceed regardless of federal obstruction.The friction between state and federal agencies has been exacerbated by rhetoric from administration officials. Following the death of Good, Vice President JD Vance labeled her a “domestic terrorist,” a characterization later disputed by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons during a Senate hearing.Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, criticized the federal agents’ tactics during the hearing, noting that Pretti appeared to be retreating when he was sprayed with a chemical irritant and subsequently shot. Mr. Paul argued that federal agencies “must admit their mistakes, be honest and forthright with their rules of engagement and pledge to reform.”

FBI Formally Denies Minnesota Access to Evidence in ICE Agents’ Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti

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