MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota prosecutors announced Monday that they have finally obtained critical evidence in their investigations into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two protesters killed during demonstrations against a federal immigration enforcement crackdown in the state earlier this year.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty confirmed the breakthrough, saying, “Through the cooperation of our federal partners we have obtained the hard drives of previously withheld evidence in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. We have also obtained some of the physical evidence that was previously withheld, including Renee Good’s car.”
For months, federal officials had been holding back witness statements, police body camera recordings, and other materials connected to the killings. Moriarty said state and local investigators now have possession of Good’s damaged vehicle as well.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed while driving away from an anti-immigration enforcement protest in Minneapolis on January 7, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting sweeping operations throughout the area. Her death, along with Pretti’s killing just weeks later, triggered widespread outrage nationwide and fueled calls to limit immigration enforcement activities.
“The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence,” Moriarty said. She added that investigators are currently working through the materials, which include hard drives containing statements, hours of body camera footage, and Good’s physical vehicle.
“We need transparency. We need cooperation. Our community needs it,” Moriarty said. “Our democracy requires it.”
Late last month, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Moriarty asked a federal judge to extend deadlines in their lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice, citing renewed talks with the FBI over sharing information. Attorneys representing the federal government agreed to that request. Ellison and Moriarty noted that those discussions were likely to influence Minnesota’s request for a summary judgment in the case.
Ellison expressed lingering frustration over the delay, saying he remains “deeply troubled that the federal government spent more than half a year attempting to conceal this evidence from state investigators.”
“It should never have taken this long for Minnesota law enforcement to gain access to the federal government’s evidence,” Ellison said. “I hope that this is the beginning of a major course correction on the part of the federal government.”
