Two federal agents in Minneapolis shot at Alex Pretti. He did not brandish his gun, DHS report finds
Two federal agents fired at protester Alex Pretti during Saturday’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis, according to a preliminary review by a Department of Homeland Security internal watchdog, which made no mention that the intensive care nurse brandished a weapon before he was killed.
The preliminary review, conducted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was sent to Congress Tuesday and appeared to contradict claims made by the Trump administration in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was quick to claim that Pretti had been “brandishing” a weapon before the two Border Patrol agents fired, while her department also issued a statement that claimed without evidence that the 37-year-old had wanted to “massacre law enforcement.”
The review, based on body camera footage and documents, provides the first official timeline of how events unfolded that day, according to copies obtained by The New York Times and ABC News.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the review was standard protocol and does “not convey any definitive conclusion or investigative findings.”
The ordeal began at approximately 9 a.m. Saturday when a federal officer was confronted by two female protesters who were blowing whistles, according to the review.
“The CBPO ordered the female civilians to move out of the roadway, and the female civilians did not move. The CBPO pushed them both away and one of the females ran to a male, later identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a US citizen,” the report said.
The officer attempted to move the woman and Pretti out of the road, but when they did not move, the agent deployed pepper spray toward both of them, the report said.
A struggle ensued between the federal agent and Pretti, who “resisted” the officer’s attempts to take him into custody.
“During the struggle, a [Border Protection agent] yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times,” the report continued. Approximately five seconds later, the agent “discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a CBPO also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.”
According to analysis from The Times, the officers fired 10 shots at Pretti, including six after he was lying motionless.
After the shooting, the Border Patrol agent “advised he had possession of Pretti’s firearm.”
The report does not specify exactly when the agents disarmed Pretti, which he was lawfully carrying according to local authorities. But footage of the incident appeared to show that Pretti’s firearm had been taken away before he was shot multiple times.
At 9:02 a.m. approximately, Pretti was provided medical aid by Customs and Border Protection personnel, who placed chest seals on his wounds, according to the report.
He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance and pronounced dead at approximately 9:32 a.m., the report said.
President Donald Trump has attempted to turn down the temperature in Minneapolis by pulling out Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who insisted Sunday that the two Border Patrol agents were the “victims” of the shooting.
The president said he wanted an “honest” investigation into Pretti’s killing, a significant shift in tone following the fatal shooting of mother-of-three Renee Good.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has been sent to Minneapolis to calm tensions, where he has met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to discuss how to move forward.
Noem, meanwhile, has faced calls to resign from Democrats and two Republican senators.
Trump met with Noem for two hours in the Oval Office Monday evening, though the president did not suggest her job was at risk. The president is standing by her and won’t be calling for her resignation, he told reporters Tuesday.
