Investigators are reviewing body-camera videos from immigration agents in the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
Homeland Security investigators have videos recorded by cameras worn by multiple agents, department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.
The agents involved in the Pretti shooting were part of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, a specialized force, McLaughlin said. Two law enforcement officials told NBC News that unit has more body-worn cameras.
Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, the city’s second fatal shooting by a federal officer this month amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration in Minnesota.
The encounter was recorded by eyewitnesses, and videos circulated widely on social media throughout the weekend. DHS has said an agent shot Pretti in self-defense after he violently resisted attempts to disarm him. But eyewitness videos taken from various angles appear to contradict elements of the department’s account of events.
The existence of body-camera video could help clarify some of the basic facts of the shooting and potentially serve as evidence in legal proceedings related to the weekend violence.
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension police officers survey the scene Sunday near a makeshift memorial in the area of Minneapolis where federal immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti.Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images
Pretti’s killing intensified debate over the federal government’s aggressive tactics and led to sharply contrasting accounts of what led up to it. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blamed “untrained” federal agents, while Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino faulted local protesters and officials for “vilifying” agents and causing a “preventable tragedy.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said “every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at” as part of the investigation into Pretti’s death. President Donald Trump said his administration is “reviewing everything” about the shooting. Trump announced Monday morning he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, where he will manage ICE operations on the ground.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat and a fierce critic of the Trump administration, said in a statement: “If Tom Homan is here to engage constructively with local leaders and find common ground, I welcome that conversation. My door is open.”
“If his visit is instead focused on escalating tensions or spreading misinformation,” Frey added, “Minneapolis doesn’t need that here.”
Walz and Frey are two of the Democratic officials under federal investigation over their public comments around immigration enforcement, NBC News has reported. The elected officials have said the administration’s probe is purely political.
The fatal shooting of Pretti came 17 days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renée Nicole Good. Trump claimed Good “viciously ran over” ICE officer Jonathan Ross with her car, but videos recorded at the scene contradicted that assertion. Good’s death sparked anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis and other major U.S. cities.
Pretti and Good were both 37-year-old U.S. citizens. The Border Patrol agent who shot and killed Pretti has not been publicly identified.
DHS’ immigration officers have shot 12 people since September as the federal agency has dramatically increased deportation operations nationwide, NBC News has reported.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
