Two US federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti during an immigration raid in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, as public anger grows over the killing of another US citizen by federal officers.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the two agents have been on leave since Saturday, describing the move as “standard protocol.” Pretti was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by masked immigration officers during a confrontation that was captured on video and quickly turned deadly.
“The two officers involved are on administrative leave and have been since Saturday,” Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo said, citing a statement from a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson.
Rapalo added that it remains “unclear whether or not the Department of Homeland Security has taken any sort of additional actions against the other officers who were involved in that fatal shooting,” referring to agents seen in several videos restraining Pretti moments before he was killed.
US media reports, citing a preliminary investigation shared with members of Congress, say a US Border Patrol agent fired the first shots while Pretti was on the ground, followed by a CBP officer who also discharged his weapon.
Pretti’s killing has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, despite early attempts by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration to justify the shooting and place blame on the victim. His death came just weeks after another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, a mother of three, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on January 7.
Amid mounting criticism over federal enforcement actions in Minnesota, President Trump reshuffled the leadership overseeing immigration operations in Minneapolis. He removed Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, whose hardline tactics had sparked widespread backlash, and appointed policy-focused border chief Tom Homan in his place.
However, Trump has sent mixed signals on the future of the raids. While he said on Tuesday that he wanted to “de-escalate” the situation, he warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey the following day that he was “playing with fire” after Frey reiterated that city authorities would not assist federal agents with immigration enforcement.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!”
Mayor Frey responded online, saying: “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce [federal] immigration laws.”
Despite the administration’s shifting tone, tensions remain high in Minneapolis.
Observers say immigration raids have continued, though they appear more targeted. Attorney General Pam Bondi visited the city on Wednesday and announced the arrests of 16 Minnesota residents accused of assaulting federal law enforcement during recent unrest.
Thousands of federal officers have been deployed to Minneapolis and across Minnesota as part of Trump’s aggressive deportation strategy. The presence has heightened fear within local communities, according to Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
“Community members are afraid to go out as a result of the occupation in our city by ICE,” Omar said. “Not only is the federal occupation hurting businesses, the president’s reprehensible rhetoric has led right-wing grifters to show up here to terrorise our community. It is indefensible.” She warned that “constitutional rights are being crumpled” as “fear is being weaponised.”
Pretti’s parents have since retained a former federal prosecutor who previously helped Minnesota’s attorney general secure the murder conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the 2020 killing of George Floyd. Steve Schleicher is representing Michael and Susan Pretti pro bono, according to a family spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the family of Renee Good has hired Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin, which also represented George Floyd’s family.
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