Exclusive: 300+ ex-DOJ lawyers demand transparent Minnesota shooting probes
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A mourner visits a makeshift memorial in the area where Alex Pretti was shot dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 25. Photo: Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images
More than 300 former federal prosecutors and civil rights attorneys are urging the Justice Department to allow state and local investigations into the killings of two Minnesota residents by federal officers, according to a new letter obtained exclusively by Axios.
Why it matters: Minnesota officials have accused feds of obstructing their ability to investigate the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti amid President Trump's federal immigration blitz in the Twin Cities.
Driving the news: "Blocking a state law enforcement agency from investigating potential violations of state law in its own jurisdiction would mark a severe departure from established DOJ norms and pose a serious threat to the rule of law," states the letter led by the Prosecutors Alliance in coordination with The Vera Institute of Justice.
- "No matter which party sits in the White House, DOJ plays a crucial role in ensuring that the American people can trust the justice system to preserve our foundational values of life and liberty," reads the letter, which was signed by nearly two dozen former U.S. attorneys.
Catch up quick: The Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into Pretti's fatal shooting by federal immigration officers. However, the Trump administration has said there is no need for a similar probe into Good's death.
- Minnesota officials launched legal steps soon after Pretti's killing in an effort to stake their claim to investigate, including obtaining a search warrant and suing to "vindicate their right to access evidence."
- The Hennepin County Attorney's Office submitted letters to the DOJ and DHS this month demanding information about Good's death by Feb. 17.
- "The federal government has been clear that they are not conducting an investigation into Renee Good's death," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in statement. "But we are."
By the numbers: An overwhelming majority of voters (80%) surveyed for a recent Quinnipiac University poll of 1,191 respondents said there should be an independent investigation into the Pretti shooting.
- A majority of Republicans (56%) agreed.
In the aftermath of the killings, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials labeled the slain Americans as domestic terrorists and spread false claims about their deaths that were contradicted by video analyses.
- Days after Pretti's death, Noem told Fox News' Sean Hannity that she and other Trump administration officials were relaying the "best information we had at the time" about the shooting. "We will continue to follow the investigation that the FBI is leading," she added.
Between the lines: A DHS spokesperson confirmed to Axios that an agency within DHS is supporting the FBI probe into Pretti's death, and Customs and Border Protection is also conducting a separate internal investigation.
- But asked about Good's death, DHS said she had "weaponized her vehicle," leading the federal officer to fear "for his life."
Go deeper: Why federal agents face less accountability than local police
Editor's note: This story was updated with newly released polling.
