The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti last Saturday by immigration officers, as protests continue in the area. The Department of Homeland Security also announced the FBI will lead the investigation.
Investigation Launched into Minneapolis Shooting
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference Friday morning in Washington DC, “We’re looking at everything that would shed light on that day.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at a military veterans hospital in Minneapolis and an activist, died while protesting against aggressive immigration raids and protester-control tactics by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), border patrol, and other federal agencies.
He was the third person shot during a surge of immigration enforcement personnel sent to the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul by the Trump administration as part of its mass deportation agenda, and the second to die after Renee Good was shot dead on January 7.
The Justice Department’s announcement is a significant development after the Trump administration had earlier indicated a narrower examination by the DHS.
Blanche said the new plan is similar to “any investigation that the Department of Justice and the FBI does every day. It means we’re looking at video, talking to witnesses, trying to understand what happened.” The Justice Department has not opened such an investigation into Good’s death.
Protesters have gathered daily across parts of the Twin Cities for weeks, and Friday was no exception. “The community is really rallied, and I think it’s important just to stand with them and have more people on the streets,” said Ann Pelsue, 58, who traveled from Iron River, Wisconsin, to join demonstrators outside a federal building in a Minneapolis suburb.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem first disclosed the shift in which agency was leading the investigation into Pretti’s death during a Fox News interview Thursday evening. Noem also conceded that she may have gotten some information wrong in her initial response to Pretti’s shooting, when she repeated allegations made by other officials that Pretti had been attacking officers – a narrative quickly contradicted by bystander video and sworn witness testimony.
“We were being relayed information from on the ground from CBP agents and officers that were there,” Noem said. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency includes border patrol, alongside ICE under the umbrella of the DHS.
Noem described a “very chaotic” situation when asked whether her responses last Saturday had been “premature”.
The Trump administration had initially blamed Pretti. Gregory Bovino, then commander of border patrol’s operation who was moved out of Minneapolis days later, said the nurse “wanted to massacre” federal officers, and numerous officials, including Noem, called Pretti a “domestic terrorist.” The administration also quickly mischaracterized the events surrounding Good’s shooting, infuriating local leaders and many communities.
Noem has been facing calls to resign amid widespread outrage, even among some Republicans. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters that Noem’s conduct “should be disqualifying”.
Videos of Pretti’s shooting showed that he had his mobile phone in his hand as officers tackled him to the ground after he tried to shield a fellow protester and did not appear to touch or reach for the gun he had a permit to carry. Two other videos emerged this week of an earlier altercation between Pretti and federal immigration officers 11 days before his death.
The videos from January 13 show Pretti yelling at federal vehicles and appearing to spit before kicking out the taillight of one vehicle. A struggle ensues between Pretti and several officers, during which he is forced to the ground.
Steve Schleicher, a Minneapolis-based attorney representing Pretti’s parents, said the earlier altercation in no way justified officers fatally shooting Pretti more than a week later.
In a post on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, Donald Trump suggested that the videos of the earlier incident undercut the narrative that Pretti was a peaceful protester when he was shot. Trump described the incident as “quite a display of abuse and anger, crazed and out of control.”
Protesters gathered outside the Bishop Henry Whipple building just south of Minneapolis, the federal building and holding center that has become the site of many demonstrations. Dozens of people held placards reading “ICE out now” and “Minnesota strong” while a chorus of whistles blared and cries of “shame” erupted when protesters spotted federal law enforcement enter the facility.
Yaakov Segal, 23, said he had been demonstrating outside the building “three or four times a week” since Good’s killing. “I don’t see any sign of slowing down. Minnesota has been showing up ever since they started taking their neighbors,” he said.
Trump’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, was sent, over Noem’s head, to Minneapolis to replace Bovino earlier this week. Tim Walz, Minnesota governor, and Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, both Democrats, have voiced public fury over the federal shootings and “invasion” by federal officials.
“Regardless of who is at the top right now, this is about the fact that you’re not following the rule of law,” said Caleb Dunnewind, 23, another protester, who lives near where Pretti was fatally shot.
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
