The two US Border Patrol agents have been suspended following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, according to information obtained by The Post. The Department of Homeland Security said in a preliminary review released on Tuesday that the agents fired their weapons during a physical struggle with Pretti over the weekend, which resulted in his death.
Why are Border Patrol agents placed on administrative leave?
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed that the decision to place the officers on administrative leave is standard protocol in cases involving a law enforcement shooting, as reported by The New York Post. The two Border Patrol agents involved have not been publicly identified.
According to the review, CBP officers attempted to take Pretti into custody after he refused to leave the street, at which point he allegedly “resisted”. Authorities said that he was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer pistol, and during the ensuing struggle, a Border Patrol agent was heard shouting, “He’s got a gun!” Moments later, one agent opened fire on Pretti with his handgun, followed by another CBP officer, the review stated.
Video footage of the incident shows that at least 10 shots were fired during the confrontation, though the Department of Homeland Security officials said it remains unclear whether Pretti’s firearm also discharged. The 37-year-old ICU nurse was pronounced dead within 30 minutes despite life-saving efforts by the federal officers involved. An autopsy is not being conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death.
The preliminary findings, drawn from body camera footage and internal CBP records, were provided to congressional committees responsible for overseeing the DHS.
Second shooting involving federal immigration officers in Minnesota
Pretti’s death marked the second fatal shooting involving federal immigration officers in Minnesota in less than three weeks, occurring amid the Trump administration’s large-scale enforcement actions targeting undocumented migrants in the state. Earlier this month, on January 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, who was also 37 years old. She was a mother of three after authorities said she rammed her vehicle into the officer.
