Minnesota Sues for Evidence in Federal Shootings

Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence needed to independently investigate three shootings by federal officers. The lawsuit includes the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as a non-fatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis (PBS News Hour). Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated that the state is prepared to fight for transparency and accountability that the federal government is desperate to avoid.

The lawsuit marks an escalation in the clash between Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration over investigations into high-profile shootings by federal officers (Los Angeles Times). The Trump administration has suggested that Minnesota officials don't have jurisdiction to investigate, but state officials insist they need to conduct their own probes because they don't trust the federal government to investigate itself. According to Moriarty, there must be an investigation any time a federal or state agent takes the life of a person in the community.

The administration sent thousands of officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul for Operation Metro Surge as part of President Donald Trump's national deportation campaign (Daily Mail). The Department of Homeland Security considered it its largest immigration enforcement operation ever, but Minnesota leaders criticized it and raised questions about officers' conduct. There has been fallout from the operation in the form of a Homeland Security shutdown, as Democrats in Congress hold up funding to secure restraints on Trump's immigration agenda.

The lawsuit claims that the federal government is not permitted to withhold investigative evidence for shielding law enforcement officers from scrutiny (HuffPost). Moriarty stated that the federal government has adopted a policy of categorically withholding evidence, calling it unprecedented and alarming. The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti's killing but said a similar probe was not warranted in Good's case.

The lawsuit also demands access to evidence in Sosa-Celis' case (Fox News). Federal officials initially accused him of beating an ICE officer, but charges were later dropped. The Justice Department has stated that the Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there must be circumstances and facts warranting an investigation.