"The hearing revealed an extraordinary conflict between Minnesota and the federal government over whether local authorities should have access to key evidence, which would help them deliberate about potential charges against federal officers in the Good and Pretti cases. Citing "serious irregularities in procedure" by agents on the ground and senior government officials in Washington in the aftermath of Pretti's killing on Saturday, Minnesota Deputy Solicitor General Pete Farrell asked Judge Eric Tostrud to extend an emergency order barring federal law enforcement agencies from destroying or altering evidence in the case."
"On Monday, Tostrud said he was swayed by a sworn statement from state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans that the BCA had reason to believe federal personnel had already mishandled critical evidence, including Pretti's alleged handgun. Within hours of the incident, the Department of Homeland Security shared photos of the handgun and a loaded magazine that had apparently been removed from the scene of the shooting and placed on a car seat."
"(We have) very serious concerns that Pretti's alleged firearm was not handled properly," Farrell said. Farrell and Clare Diegel, his counterpart at the Office of Hennepin County Attorney, also asked Tostrud in the lawsuit filed Saturday afternoon to declare the federal agencies' stonewalling "unconstitutional and unlawful" and require them to share evidence with state and county investigators as needed."
State and local lawyers told a federal judge they believe federal agencies may not comply with evidence preservation and sharing in the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. A court hearing exposed a conflict over whether local authorities should access key evidence needed to consider charges against federal officers. Minnesota asked to extend an emergency order barring federal law enforcement from destroying or altering evidence. The judge cited a sworn BCA statement alleging federal personnel mishandled critical evidence, including Pretti's alleged handgun, and noted DHS shared photos showing a handgun and a loaded magazine on a car seat.
Read at Advocate.com
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