{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://finstad.house.gov/2026/09/14/finstad-calls-on-department-of-justice-to-investigate-hennepin-county-attorneys-office-following-recent-minneapolis-shooting/", "Finstad Calls on Department of Justice to Investigate Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office Following Recent Minneapolis Shooting", "2026-09-14", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Brad Finstad", "F000475", "finstad.house.gov", "finstad", "https://finstad.house.gov/media", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) led Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) and Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-07) in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Department of Justice calling for a review of the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty following the lack of legal action taken prior to the September 2, 2026 shooting in downtown Minneapolis that left two people dead and several others injured, including two law enforcement officers.\n\nThe suspected shooter, Carlton Johnson II, had a well-established history of violence, including threatening a resident at his apartment building, brandishing a firearm, and sexually assaulting and threatening a woman. In total, Johnson had accumulated 34 criminal cases in Minnesota, spanning more than a decade. The lack of legal action taken by the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office leading up to the tragic event on September 2nd raises serious concerns about what investigative and prosecutorial procedures were followed.\n\nThe letter reads:\n\n\u201cDear U.S. Attorney General Blanche,\n\n\u201cWe are writing to strongly request that the Department of Justice review the circumstances surrounding the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office, particularly Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and the lack of legal action taken involving Carlton Johnson II, the suspect of the September 2, 2026, Minneapolis shooting that left two people dead and several others injured, including law enforcement officers.\n\n\u201cLeading up to this tragic event, Hennepin County prosecutors declined to bring charges against Carlton Johnson II after he threatened a resident at the Shoreline Plaza building and brandished a firearm back in June of this year. The office claimed there was \u201cinsufficient evidence to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt.\u201d In 2023, Johnson sexually assaulted and threatened a woman and in response she filed a restraining order against him. In total, Johnson had accumulated 34 separate criminal cases in the Twin Cities. The blatant lack of legal action taken by the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office that subsequently led to the Minneapolis shooting, raises serious questions about whether appropriate investigative and prosecutorial procedures were followed.\n\n\u201cThis is not the first case where the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office, led by Mary Moriarty, poorly exercised their prosecutorial discretion. In 2024, we sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz regarding our concerns about her prosecution of Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Ryan Londregan. Ms. Moriarty weaponized her position against law enforcement and ignored an independent use-of-force expert chosen by her own office, who stated that Trooper Londregan acted as a \u201creasonable officer\u201d would have. After many months, Ms. Moriarty came to the same conclusion as the experts did and dropped all charges against Trooper Londregan. These cases show a pattern of poor prosecutorial discretion by Ms. Moriarty and undermine confidence in the fair and impartial administration of justice.\n\n\u201cWe respectfully request that the Department of Justice review the actions of the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office regarding Carlton Johnson II and his violent past leading up to the Minneapolis shooting. When credible warnings are shown and brought to authorities, it is their responsibility to act, Ms. Moriarty\u2019s dismissal of charges has led to injured law enforcement officers and the loss of Minnesotans.\n\n\u201cThank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response and do not hesitate to contact our offices if we can be of further assistance.\n\n\u201cSincerely,\n\nBrad Finstad, Member of Congress\n\nPete Stauber, Member of Congress", 1, "2026-09-15T09:50:21Z", "2026-09-15T09:52:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://finstad.house.gov/2026/09/14/finstad-calls-on-department-of-justice-to-investigate-hennepin-county-attorneys-office-following-recent-minneapolis-shooting/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5315618366003036, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}