Attorney General Holliston says federal authorities denied state access to evidence in two shootings

A senator asked Attorney General Holliston about coordination between federal agencies and state and local investigators in the shootings of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy. Holliston said the state has not received expected cooperation from federal authorities, that access to evidence and the crime scene was denied, and that his office had been advised the incidents were not being investigated by federal agencies.

"We haven't had any cooperation up until now," Attorney General Holliston said, describing the situation as "highly unusual" compared with prior cases in which federal and state authorities collaborated. He added that state officials had been told they "can't have access to the evidence, to the crime scene."

Holliston said his office had been advised the federal government was not investigating the incidents and that, as a result, state investigators had not been granted access to evidence related to the shootings. The attorney general said his office hopes cooperation will change but provided no timetable or formal next steps during the exchange.

The senator pressed for clarification that federal authorities had historically cooperated in similar investigations; Holliston answered that past cooperation had occurred and confirmed "yes" when asked whether federal officials were currently stonewalling the state.

No formal action, referral or vote on the matter was recorded in the transcript. The attorney general did not identify specific reasons federal authorities withheld access, and no federal agency representative spoke during the exchange. The inquiry in this transcript is limited to the question-and-answer exchange recorded here; the status of any separate or subsequent federal review is not specified.