The Trump administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it has completed a “preliminary review” of the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti, laying out a minute-by-minute account of the encounter and identifying the two federal agents who fired their weapons.
Pretti, 37, a U.S. Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, died after a confrontation with Border Patrol agents during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis on Saturday.
According to the report, agents with Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection were conducting enforcement actions near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street as part of Operation Metro Surge. Officials said several civilians were present in the area, some of them “yelling and blowing whistles” as agents worked.
The report states that agents repeatedly instructed civilians to remain on the sidewalks and out of the roadway. Tensions escalated shortly before 9 a.m. when a Customs and Border Protection officer was confronted by two women blowing whistles in the street.
The officer ordered the women to move, but they did not comply, the report said. Witness video shows the officer pushing the women, after which one of them ran toward Pretti.
Officials said the officer attempted to move both the woman and Pretti out of the roadway. When they did not comply, the officer deployed pepper spray toward them. Pretti had been known to federal agents from a previous scuffle in which he reportedly impeded deportation operations.
Alex Pretti (Screenshot)
Border Patrol agents then attempted to take Pretti into custody, but he “resisted,” according to the report, leading to a physical struggle. During the struggle, an unidentified agent shouted, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times.
Footage reviewed by investigators shows an agent pulling a suspected firearm, later identified as a 9 mm pistol, from Pretti’s waistband. About five seconds after the warning was shouted, two federal agents opened fire.
The report confirms that one agent fired a CBP-issued Glock 19, while a second agent fired a CBP-issued Glock 47. Investigators said nearly a dozen shots were fired in Pretti’s direction.
After the shooting, an agent secured Pretti’s firearm, “cleared and secured” it, and placed it inside a vehicle, according to the report.
At approximately 9:02 a.m., CBP personnel began providing medical assistance. Agents cut Pretti’s clothing and applied chest seals to his wounds. Minneapolis Fire Department Emergency Medical Services arrived roughly three minutes later and took over medical care.
Pretti was transferred to an ambulance at about 9:14 a.m. and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at approximately 9:32 a.m.
The report confirms that body-worn camera footage of the shooting exists, though officials did not say whether it will be released publicly.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office. Border Patrol’s Office of Professional Responsibility Investigative Operations Directorate will request the official findings once the examination is complete.
