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Federal agents blocked Minnesota investigators from Alex Pretti shooting evidence, refused to honor state search warrant

On January 27, 2026, federal agents blocked Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from accessing evidence at the Minneapolis scene where federal officers had killed Alex Pretti three days earlier, turning away state investigators even after they obtained a valid search warrant. Federal agents also failed to maintain proper chain of custody for the murder weapon, placing it on a vehicle seat rather than securing it in a labeled evidence bag. The FBI subsequently refused to share evidence with state investigators, and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty issued formal Touhy demands after a federal judge dissolved an emergency evidence preservation order.

Part of: Operation Metro Surge (Twin Cities ICE Surge)

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Abuses documented

Actors

On January 27, 2026, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that federal agents had denied state investigators access to evidence from the January 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti — a U.S. citizen killed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers during Operation Metro Surge. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans stated that agents arrived at the scene within thirty minutes of the shooting and were turned away by Department of Homeland Security personnel. When the BCA returned with a valid judicial search warrant, federal agents blocked them again. Federal officials also failed to secure the murder weapon in a required evidence bag, placing it on a vehicle seat — a violation of standard chain-of-custody protocols.

U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud issued an emergency evidence preservation order on January 24 but dissolved it on February 2 after federal agencies assured the court that existing retention policies — including a 75-year body camera retention rule — were sufficient. On February 18, the FBI formally refused to share its investigative evidence with state officials; Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty responded with "Touhy" demands — formal legal requests comparable to state subpoenas — calling the obstruction "unacceptable" and evidence of "a total lack of confidence in their agents' actions." As of April 2026, no charges had been filed and no evidence had been shared with state investigators. The FBI's refusal extended to a parallel investigation into the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis by federal agents during the same operation.

Updates

2026-07-13 — Federal authorities turned over long-withheld evidence [9, 10]

On July 13, 2026, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that federal investigators had turned over long-withheld evidence in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti to Minnesota authorities, more than six months after the shootings and after sustained legal pressure. The materials included hard drives containing statements and police body-camera video, along with Good's damaged SUV. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he remained "deeply troubled" by the delay; reporting noted that friction persisted after the handoff, with the Pretti family saying the U.S. Attorney's office would not confirm the terms of the arrangement.

Why we recorded this

Accountability for government use of lethal force depends on independent investigation. When federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota state investigators arrived promptly with proper legal authority — including a valid search warrant — and were turned away. Federal agents then failed to preserve the chain of custody for the murder weapon, and the FBI refused to share evidence with state officials. We record this because obstruction of an independent state investigation into a killing by federal officers, using the government's own evidence-control powers to shield those officers from scrutiny, is a direct attack on the accountability structures that separate lawful policing from impunity.

Sources

  1. Inside the tug-of-war over evidence in Alex Pretti killing and why it matters for law-enforcement accountability — MinnPost primary accessed June 29, 2026
  2. Statement from BCA Superintendent Drew Evans on Alex Pretti shooting investigation — Minnesota Department of Public Safety primary accessed June 29, 2026
  3. Alex Pretti: Judge wipes away order requiring feds to preserve evidence gathered from shooting scene — CNN secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  4. Hopes that the FBI would share evidence in Alex Pretti's killing with state investigators have shattered — CNN secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  5. Minnesota prosecutors demand evidence from federal government in Alex Pretti killing — Minnesota Reformer secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  6. Handling of evidence related to Alex Pretti's death raises concerns about probe's integrity — CBS News secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  7. Judge dissolves order against feds in Pretti shooting investigation — Courthouse News Service secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  8. Months after the ICE shootings in Minnesota, a federal probe remains elusive — NPR secondary accessed June 29, 2026
  9. Feds turn over evidence in killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti by immigration agents — Minnesota Reformer primary accessed July 14, 2026
  10. Fractures emerge after feds share evidence from Good, Pretti killings with Minnesota authorities — Star Tribune secondary accessed July 14, 2026

See also