The US Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident shot by Border Patrol officers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Blanche says the investigation will examine events surrounding the shooting, as well as actions taken in the days and weeks beforehand. He does not specify what prompted the probe, noting that the Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and only intervenes when circumstances warrant scrutiny.
Blanche says President Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated the administration would investigate Pretti’s death. He adds that a similar federal probe will not be opened into the January 7 killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Steve Schleicher, an attorney representing Pretti’s parents, says the family is focused on securing a fair and impartial investigation that fully examines the facts surrounding their son’s killing.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security confirms that the FBI will now lead the federal investigation into Pretti’s death. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reveals the shift during an interview, after her department initially said Homeland Security Investigations would oversee the case.
Noem says DHS will cooperate fully with the FBI to ensure the public learns the truth about what happened. A DHS spokesperson confirms that Homeland Security Investigations will support the FBI, while Customs and Border Protection conducts its own internal review of the shooting involving two officers.
Authorities do not immediately explain why the lead agency changed, and it remains unclear whether the FBI will share evidence with Minnesota state investigators, who have so far been excluded from the federal inquiry.
In an interview, Noem appears to step back from earlier claims that Pretti had aggressively approached officers while brandishing a handgun. Video footage released after the shooting contradicts that account, showing Pretti holding only a mobile phone as officers restrain him. One officer removes a handgun from Pretti’s waistband as another fires multiple shots into his back.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse, had a valid state permit to carry a concealed firearm. Video evidence shows he does not reach for the weapon.
Additional scrutiny follows the release of videos from an encounter between Pretti and federal immigration officers 11 days before his death. The footage shows Pretti yelling at officers, spitting, and damaging a government vehicle before being restrained and later fleeing. A handgun appears visible in his waistband, though he does not reach for it and it is unclear whether officers noticed it.
Schleicher says the earlier incident does not justify the later shooting.
President Trump posts on Truth Social that the newly released footage undermines portrayals of Pretti as a peaceful figure, describing him as aggressive and praising the conduct of the ICE officer involved in the earlier encounter.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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