HCAO demands feds turn over evidence in Alex Pretti, north Minneapolis shootings
HCAO demands evidence in Alex Pretti, north Minneapolis shootings
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday said it has filed two Touhy demands for evidence held by the federal government in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celiz in north Minneapolis. So far, Mary Moriarty says her office has gotten no cooperation from federal authorities.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday said it has filed two "Touhy" demands for evidence held by the federal government in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celiz in north Minneapolis.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity also said her office gave the federal government a Feb. 17 deadline to hand over evidence in the Renee Good shooting. That deadline passed with no cooperation.
Alex Pretti shooting
What we know:
Alex Pretti was fatally shot in south Minneapolis on Jan. 24 by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation. Pretti appeared to be helping a woman get up who had been shoved to the ground by federal agents. A struggle between Pretti and federal agents ensued, and Pretti was fatally shot.
The incident led to several days of anti-ICE protests, while Operation Metro Surge continued.
Late last week, the Trump administration sent a representative to oversee talks between the Minnesota BCA and FBI.
The federal government has since said there will be no cooperation with the BCA. Moriarty said her office gave a March 3 deadline to turn over evidence.
"Hiding evidence and obstructing our investigation is unacceptable, and it indicates a total lack of confidence in their agents’ own actions," Moriarty said.
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celiz shooting
The backstory:
Exactly a week after Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis, Moriarty said Julio Cesar Sosa-Celiz was shot in north Minneapolis after a targeted traffic stop. Federal agents who attempted to arrest him shot him after they say they were attacked with shovels.
Those agents have since been placed on leave for potentially lying under oath. The incident sparked a night of protests in north Minneapolis, as it was the second shooting involving a federal agent in a week. Moriarty also issued a March 3 deadline for evidence in that case.
"The lies about what transpired that night are still on the DHS website. We’re prepared to take legal action should DHS and DOJ fail to meet our deadline and continue to obstruct our investigations," Moriarty said.
Could federal agents face charges?
Dig deeper:
Moriarty says the Hennepin County Attorney's Office is "in good shape" to make a decision on possible charges against ICE agents involved in shootings, but she can't yet determine what that will be.
What evidence is Moriarty seeking? Anything that's been obtained by federal authorities. In Pretti’s death, they’re seeking the weapons involved. In Good’s death, they’re seeking information about her car, and the ICE agent’s gun.
For now, they’re working with information provided by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
"None of what’s happening with the federal government has stopped the BCA and our office from working together on gathering as much information as we possibly can," Moriarty said. "There’s no mystery about how these people died, they were shot to death. It’d be much easier if the federal government were not hiding evidence from us and obstructing our ability to do the investigation."
What's next:
If the federal government doesn't hand over evidence in either incident by March 3, Moriarty says her office is prepared to file a lawsuit in federal court.