At least two federal agents involved in Saturday’s fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, according to reports from Fox News and MS NOW.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the two immigration agents who discharged their weapons during the encounter were put on leave as part of standard procedures.
Pretti was an ICU nurse at a veterans hospital when he was fatally shot. This incident marks his second fatal encounter with federal authorities in Minnesota within a month, sparking national outrage.
The DHS stated that Pretti approached Border Patrol officers with a holstered 9 mm semi-automatic handgun during the altercation. However, initial reports by Trump officials highlighted the presence of a firearm.
An initial government review into the shooting did not mention Pretti’s possession of a weapon despite such claims. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reviewed the incident and shared its preliminary findings with lawmakers on Tuesday, emphasizing that these reports are part of standard protocol to promote transparency.
According to the CBP internal assessment, customs officers ordered Pretti and a woman to move out of the street but were met with resistance. They then sprayed pepper spray at both individuals before firing shots. The review based its conclusions on footage from body-worn cameras and CBP documentation.
Details in this preliminary investigation reveal inconsistencies between how Trump officials initially described the shooting and evidence available, such as video footage showing an agent retrieving Pretti’s gun prior to the shooting.