FBI won't share evidence related to Alex Pretti shooting, state says
- - FBI won't share evidence related to Alex Pretti shooting, state says
Christopher Cann, USA TODAYFebruary 17, 2026 at 3:38 AM
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The FBI notified Minnesota state investigators that it will not share information or evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a Feb. 16 statement.
The revelation comes after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials expressed hope that federal authorities would cooperate with the state in an investigation into the killing of Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse whose death triggered nationwide protests and bipartisan calls for an independent investigation.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which specializes in investigating police shootings and has often worked with federal authorities, vowed to move ahead with its own probe but acknowledged the challenges posed by the FBI's decision to withhold evidence.
"While this lack of cooperation is concerning and unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of these incidents, even if hampered by a lack of access to key information and evidence," the agency said.
The FBI, which is leading its own probe into the Pretti shooting, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The scene of a shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 24, 2026.
The move is the latest development in a series of battles between state and federal authorities over investigations into shootings by federal officers during a monthslong immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says it has also been stonewalled from evidence and case materials related to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, and a shooting that left a Venezuelan man injured.
Minnesota state and local authorities promised to independently investigate each of the shootings, but it remains unclear whether state prosecutors will be able to bring charges against the federal agents, who are largely protected from prosecution.
Independent investigations have been among the top demands from Minnesota state and local officials, as well as federal lawmakers from both parties, as outrage mounted over the shootings. Pretti's death prompted particularly intense pushback as footage of the incident undermined assertions made by top Trump administration officials who said Pretti had "brandished" a firearm and acted as an "assassin."
Videos show Pretti filming federal agents with his phone before he was taken to the ground, disarmed and shot in the back. The Department of Homeland Security said two agents opened fire, both of whom have been placed on leave.
People gather to mourn for Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7 during an immigration raid, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Feb. 7, 2026.
Within hours of Pretti's death, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a local prosecutor's office went to court to gain access to the scene and even obtained a search warrant, a move officials in court records said was incredibly unusual.
"In my 20-plus years at the BCA, prior to 2026, I had never encountered a situation in which federal authorities blocked BCA access to an incident where there is concurrent federal and state jurisdiction," Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said.
U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud issued a restraining order barring federal authorities from destroying or altering evidence related to Pretti's death. In early February, Tostrud dissolved his initial order.
The U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the Pretti shooting, which could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case. Customs and Border Protection has opened an internal investigation into the shooting.
1 / 8ICE, Border Patrol leaders face Congress over deadly Minnesota raids(L/R) Rodney Scott, Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Joseph Edlow, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), testify during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Feb. 10, 2026.
The Justice Department declined to investigate the Good shooting, saying there's "no basis" for such an inquiry. That decision, and a push from top DOJ officials to instead investigate Good's wife, led to a wave of resignations at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, according to multiple news outlets, including The New York Times and NBC News.
ICE said it opened an internal investigation and is reviewing the conduct of Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good.
Separately, the Justice Department and ICE are investigating whether the two officers involved in a shooting that injured Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14 in Minneapolis lied under oath. Federal authorities launched the probe after video evidence appeared to contradict the officers' initial statements about the shooting.
Contributing: Reuters
Christopher Cann is a national breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him via email at [email protected].
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