Minnesota Families Sue State Agency for Withholding Police Shooting Files

The lawsuit alleges the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is violating open records law, hindering the families' ability to file wrongful death lawsuits.

• The families of five men killed by police in Minnesota have filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) for not releasing investigative files on their deaths, alleging violation of the state's open records law.
• According to the lawsuit, the data should be turned over to the families within 10 days of request once the investigation is completed and the officers are not charged. In all five cases, the officers were cleared of wrongdoing.
• The lawsuit argues that the delays in releasing the files hinder the families' ability to file wrongful death lawsuits within the state's three-year statute of limitations.
• The plaintiffs include the families of Tekele Sundberg, killed by Minneapolis police during a mental health crisis, and Zachary Shogren, an Army veteran suffering from PTSD and schizophrenia, killed by task force officers in Duluth.
• The BCA states it is committed to informing families and the public as quickly as possible while protecting data that can't be released under state law.

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