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The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last weekend, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday.
Pretti was shot Saturday following a heated confrontation between immigration authorities and protesters in Minneapolis, an incident that intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota. His death came just weeks after Renée Nicole Good, a mother of three, was fatally shot by a federal officer while sitting in her car — a case that also sparked nationwide protests.
“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Blanche said during a Friday press conference tied to the Justice Department’s latest release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files.
FBI now leading investigation
The FBI has assumed the lead role in the investigation, which was initially handled by the Department of Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection is separately conducting an internal review of the two Border Patrol agents who discharged their weapons during the shooting. Both agents have been placed on administrative leave.
Blanche declined to specify what prompted the Justice Department to open a civil rights case but indicated that the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death warranted further scrutiny.
“There are thousands, unfortunately, of law enforcement events every year where somebody is shot,” Blanche said. “The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice does not investigate every one of those shootings. There has to be circumstances or facts — or maybe unknown facts — but certainly circumstances that warrant an investigation.”
He added that President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for an inquiry into the shooting.
Unanswered questions remain
Blanche said Friday that he does not know the current location of Pretti’s cellphone or the firearm authorities say Pretti had on him before his death. He also declined to commit to releasing body-camera footage from the incident.
Pretti’s family attorney, Steve Schleicher, said in a statement that the family is focused on accountability.
“The family’s focus is on a fair and impartial investigation that examines the facts around his murder,” Schleicher said.
Trump escalates rhetoric
The Justice Department’s announcement came just hours after Trump referred to Pretti as an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist” in a post on Truth Social, escalating his rhetoric after previously saying he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota.
In the post, Trump cited recently released video footage showing Pretti yelling at federal immigration agents and kicking a government vehicle days before the shooting.
“His stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer,” Trump wrote, claiming Pretti kicked a vehicle so forcefully that it broke a taillight.
NBC News previously reported on the Jan. 13 video, which appears to show Pretti shouting at federal agents and kicking the rear of an unmarked vehicle. It remains unclear what occurred before the confrontation or how it relates to the fatal shooting days later.
“It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control,” Trump wrote. “The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances!”
Broader fallout
Pretti’s death has become a flashpoint in the escalating debate over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, particularly in Minnesota, where a surge of federal agents has drawn protests and fierce opposition from Democratic leaders.
The civil rights probe marks a significant escalation in federal scrutiny and adds pressure on the administration as Congress weighs funding for the Department of Homeland Security amid calls for tighter oversight of immigration agents.
