Two agents who shot Alex Pretti dead are identified as CBP veterans: report
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailThe two federal immigration agents who fatally shot protester Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street have been identified as longtime officers with Customs and Border Protection, according to a report.A Border Patrol agent in his 40s and a Customs and Border Protection officer in his mid-30s are named in government records, viewed by ProPublica, as the officers who fired on the 37-year-old intensive care nurse on January 24.The agents were assigned to “Operation Metro Surge,” which saw thousands of federal agents deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out the Trump administration’s anti-immigration crackdown.Both men are from Texas, according to ProPublica, and have been with Customs and Border Protection since 2014 and 2018, respectively.Their names have not been released by Customs and Border Protection, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. The agents were placed on leave following the shooting, according to the department.open image in galleryThe two federal immigration agents who fatally shot protester Alex Pretti in a Minneapolis street have been identified as longtime officers with Customs and Border Protection, according to a report (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)In a statement to The Independent, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said it “will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers.”“Doxxing our officers put their lives and their families in serious danger,” the spokesperson said. “Our law enforcement officers are on the frontlines arresting terrorists, gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists. Now, thanks to the malicious rhetoric of sanctuary politicians, they are under constant threat from violent agitators.”“Publicizing their identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious risk,” the spokesperson added. “This matter remains under investigation.”Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was among lawmakers calling for the federal agents to be identified. “They should not be anonymous,” Raskin said Sunday on CNN. “They should be identifiable. And they have to have rules of engagement that don’t allow them to terrorize and intimidate, harass and assault U.S. citizens and other people.”The Trump administration also refused to name the agent who killed mother-of-three Renee Good in Minneapolis on January 7. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross was identified by media organizations in the days after her death. The killings of Good and Pretti have sparked huge protests in Minneapolis and across the country.President Donald Trump has attempted to turn down the temperature by pulling out Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who insisted that the two Border Patrol agents were the “victims” of the shooting the day after Pretti was killed.open image in galleryPretti’s killing sparked mass protests in Minneapolis and across the country last week and over the weekend. (Getty Images)The president said he wanted an “honest” investigation into Pretti’s death, a significant shift in tone following the fatal shooting of mother-of-three Renee Good.The two agents were not named in the preliminary review of the shooting, based on body camera footage and documents, that was sent to Congress last week.It provided a timeline of how events unfolded but made no mention that Pretti brandished a weapon before he was killed, contradicting claims made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her department.The incident began at approximately 9 a.m. on January 24, 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.”Pretti was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead by 9:32 a.m., the review said.Following pressure from the public and lawmakers, the Justice Department announced Friday that its civil division has opened an investigation into the killing of Pretti, led by the FBI.
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