Previously withheld evidence regarding the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti is now in the hands of Minnesota prosecutors, helping the state gain clarity on the deaths that occurred earlier this year during protests against a federal immigration crackdown.
“Through the cooperation of our federal partners, we have obtained hard drives of previously withheld evidence in the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis,” the Hennepin county attorney, Mary Moriarty, said in a video statement posted on social media.
The newly obtained evidence includes Good’s car, statements, police body-camera video and other evidence that federal officials had previously withheld in the killings.
“Our democracy requires it,” said Moriarty. “After receiving this evidence, we immediately began to analyze it in the context of the evidence we already had in hand. This analysis is ongoing.”
Good, an unarmed US citizen and mother, was killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on 7 January. The 37-year-old was fatally shot in the driver’s seat of her car during an encounter with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis. Incident reports from local authorities and a private autopsy requested by the family show that Good suffered three gunshot wounds, including one to her head.
“Obtaining this evidence has been a priority for us since January 7, the day Renée Good was shot and killed,” Moriarty said on Monday. “It has been rightfully demanded by our community for six months.”
Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse who was observing immigration officers in the city, was shot dead on 24 January by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Minneapolis.
In a statement, Steve Schleicher, the Pretti family attorney, said he and his clients were “initially encouraged” by the announcement, but in a subsequent meeting Daniel Rosen, the US attorney for the district of Minnesota, “refused to confirm any cooperation agreement between state and federal agencies – continuing to deny the Pretti family basic information that they have been requesting for months”.
“No family should be required to beg federal authorities to do their job. 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,” Schleicher continued.
The US attorney’s office and the Hennepin county attorney’s office didn’t immediately return the Guardian’s request for comment.
Minnesota authorities had said earlier this year that the FBI was refusing to share evidence from its investigation into the shootings of Good, Sosa-Celis and Pretti. Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, demanded an “impartial” investigation into the shootings.
Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, was shot during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The federal officer who shot Sosa-Celis, was charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in May.
