TWO Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of an ICU nurse have been pulled off the job and placed on administrative leave.
The Department of Homeland Security stressed the move is standard procedure and “should not be viewed as any suspicion of wrongdoing.”
Alex Pretti was shot multiple times by Border Patrol Agents on January 24 in Minneapolis, MinnesotaCredit: AP
Two Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of an ICU nurse have been pulled offCredit: X
Stella Carlson, a local witness recorded the entire shootingCredit: CNN
Minneapolis was still reeling on Monday after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead during a confrontation with federal agents over the weekend.
A government report sent to Congress and obtained by CBS News said two US Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weapons.
The report did not say Pretti reached for his firearm.
Minnesota officials said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and had no criminal record.
One injured in Border Patrol shooting days after Alex Pretti death
CBS News reported that some of the Border Patrol agents at the scene had body cameras, according to two US officials.
What we know about the ICE shootings…
A second US citizen was shot to death by ICE agents in Minnesota on Saturday, sparking fresh outrage towards Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown
Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have blamed victim Alex Pretti’s gun for causing the shooting, while local officials are calling for a thorough investigation into the agent’s actions
The president sent his border czar to Minnesota to meet with local leaders after fellow Republicans and concerned CEOs called for a cooldown on raids
Furious protesters swarmed a hotel where ICE agents were said to have been staying, and shattered its windows
‘PINK JACKET’ LADY SPEAKS
Fresh focus has fallen on the video filmed by local witness Stella Carlson, who said she was headed to paint children’s faces at a church when she stumbled onto the chaos.
“I know every time I leave my vehicle or leave my house and I put that whistle around my neck, I know because of Renee Good, the risk,” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Tuesday.
“I think we all knew after that happened, it is now at that point, and it could be any of us.”
Carlson said she drove down Nicollet Avenue and saw what she described as a brawl in the street, then noticed Pretti directing traffic.
She got out of her car and started recording, wearing a pink jacket that later stood out in other footage from the scene.
Carlson said her video showed Pretti never brandished his gun, contradicting an early claim from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and she said she didn’t even know he was armed until after he was shot.
She also said the footage undercut claims from Stephen Miller that Pretti approached law enforcement intending to assassinate them.
The video also shows, Carlson said, that Pretti’s handgun was removed from its holster by an officer seconds before he was pinned down and shot multiple times, including in his back.
More than a dozen shot by federal agents
More than a dozen people have been shot by federal agents since September. The Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security have come under fire from both sides of the aisle over reckless shootings. Saturday’s killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis further fueled protests and backlash to Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Jan. 27 – One person was shot by Border Patrol agents in Pima County, Arizona, and was flown to a trauma center in critical condition.
Jan. 24 – Alex Pretti was fatally shot by US Border Patrol during a federal operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jan. 14 – Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot and injured in an incident involving an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Jan. 8 – Luis David Nino Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras were shot and injured by US Border Patrol during a traffic stop in Portland, Oregon.
Jan. 7 – Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, sparking protests and scrutiny of DHS use of force.
Dec. 24 — Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins injured shot by an ICE officer in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
Dec. 11 — Isaias Sanchez Barboza killed by Border Patrol agent in Starr County, Texas.
Oct. 30 — Carlos Jimenez injured after being shot by ICE officer in Ontario, California.
Oct. 29 — Jose Garcia-Sorto was shot and injured by and ICE officer in Phoenix.
Oct. 21 — Carlitos Ricardo Parias was shot by an ICE officer in Los Angeles.
Oct. 4 — Marimar Martinez was shot by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in Chicago.
Sept. 12 — Silverio Villegas González, 38, was killed by an ICE officer in Franklin Park, Illinois.
“I remember him arching his back and his head rolling back,” Carlson said.
“I knew he was gone because I watched it,” she said.
“And then they come over to try to perform some type of medical aid by ripping his clothes open with scissors, and then maneuvering his body around like a rag doll, only to discover that it could be because they wanted to count the bullet wounds to see how many they got, like he’s a deer.”
Videos from the scene verified by CBS show Pretti holding a phone in his right hand, with nothing in his left, moments before he was shot.
Multiple videos also show a federal agent in a gray jacket reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and coming out with a gun in his right hand.
The footage shows the agent turning away as the first shot is fired, then running across the street as more shots ring out.
BOVINO DEMOTED
The administrative leave move surfaced as DHS leadership faced renewed pressure over the fallout from the killing.
The developments came a day after Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino was demoted, with sources saying he was expected to depart Minnesota.
Noem was at the White House on Monday facing questions about her department’s handling of the case.
Noem is expected to keep her job, but sources said her focus is set to shift away from interior enforcement operations toward the southern border and other priorities.
BORDER CZAR MEETS WALZ
President Trump also said on social media Monday that he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota.
Governor Tim Walz’s office confirmed Walz and Homan have met and that they “agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also met with Homan to discuss next steps, according to the report.
CBS said multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation warned some inside DHS are increasingly concerned about the agency’s reputation.
Activists are also calling for a “National Shutdown” on Friday to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The talks and internal shifts come as Minnesota leaders push to scale down the federal immigration operation, after Walz and Frey held conversations with Trump about reducing the presence.
Pretti, 37 was shot by Border Patrol agents on January 24.
He was shot at least 10 times in a span of five seconds.
Earlier in January, Renee Good was shot multiple times by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
The administrative leave move surfaced as DHS leadership faced renewed pressure over the fallout from the killingCredit: via REUTERS
Pretti, 37 was shot by Border Patrol agents on January 24Credit: via REUTERS
Pretti was an ICU nurse working in MinnesotaCredit: AP
