More than 300 former Department of Justice attorneys are urging Pam Bondi to step aside and allow Minnesota officials to investigate the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, warning that federal interference represents a dangerous break from long-standing legal norms.

In a letter postmarked Wednesday, 303 former DOJ prosecutors and civil rights attorneys wrote that blocking state and local investigations into the killings would mark a “severe departure from established DOJ norms” and “pose a serious threat to the rule of law.” The attorneys emphasized that decades of precedent allow — and often require — parallel federal and state investigations when law enforcement officers are involved in civilian deaths.

Good, a Minneapolis mother and activist, was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during an operation connected to the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge.” The Department of Justice quickly announced it saw “no basis” for a federal civil rights investigation, while administration officials, including JD Vance, publicly disparaged Good and asserted that the agent involved had “absolute immunity.”

Less than three weeks later, on Jan. 24, DHS agents shot and killed Pretti, a Minneapolis intensive care unit nurse and community activist. Once again, federal officials rushed to justify the shooting, claiming Pretti “violently resisted” officers — a narrative his family and local advocates have strongly disputed.

Minnesota authorities, including the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, have repeatedly stated their intent to conduct full investigations into both deaths. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara formally requested BCA assistance. But according to the former DOJ attorneys, federal authorities blocked those efforts, citing reporting that BCA personnel were ordered to leave the scene of Pretti’s death.

“As the 303 below signatories can attest from more than 60 years of collective experience,” the letter states, the DOJ has no legal authority to prevent state agencies from investigating officer-involved shootings within their own jurisdictions. Under the principle of dual sovereignty, both federal and state governments may investigate and prosecute the same incident under their respective laws.

The former prosecutors called it “highly unusual” — and deeply troubling — for federal authorities to shut out a state investigative agency entirely. Doing so, they warned, undermines cooperative law enforcement frameworks that are essential for accuracy, accountability, and public confidence.

Notably, the attorneys argued that if federal officials truly believe the shootings were justified, they should welcome independent scrutiny. Transparent investigations by state and local authorities, they wrote, would either confirm federal conclusions or expose misconduct — both outcomes necessary for maintaining public trust.

The letter also placed the shootings in a broader national context, warning that the country’s confidence in the justice system is eroding. Regardless of which party controls the White House, the DOJ has a responsibility to preserve foundational values of life, liberty, and equal justice under the law, the signatories wrote.

While the Trump administration has since scaled back immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, public outrage remains intense. Calls to abolish ICE altogether have grown louder, fueled by allegations that the agency operates without meaningful oversight or accountability.

The letter, signed by attorneys who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, was also sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, signaling that the fight over these investigations is far from over — and may yet define how far federal power can go when lives are lost.