The U.S. Justice Department has launched a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident shot by Border Patrol officers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Friday.
The probe would review events surrounding the shooting and the officers’ actions in the days and weeks preceding it.
Blanche emphasised that the Civil Rights Division does not automatically investigate all law enforcement shootings but intervenes only when circumstances warrant scrutiny. He declined to specify what triggered the current investigation.
The development follows repeated statements by President Donald Trump pledging a federal review of Pretti’s death.
Blanche also noted that a similar federal investigation will not be opened into the January 7 shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s parents, represented by attorney Steve Schleicher, have called for a fair and impartial inquiry that thoroughly examines all facts surrounding their son’s death.
“The family’s focus remains on ensuring accountability and transparency,” Schleicher said.
In a notable procedural change, the FBI has now been designated to lead the federal investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the shift, after her department initially said that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) would oversee the case.
DHS would cooperate fully with the FBI, while HSI provides support and Customs and Border Protection conducts its own internal review of the shooting involving two officers.
Video footage released after the incident challenges initial accounts that Pretti aggressively approached officers with a handgun. Instead, the recordings show him holding only a mobile phone while officers restrain him.
One officer then removes a handgun from Pretti’s waistband as another fires multiple shots into his back.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse, possessed a valid state permit to carry a concealed firearm but does not appear to reach for it in the video.
The case has drawn further attention following the release of footage from an encounter between Pretti and federal immigration officers 11 days before his death.
In that earlier incident, Pretti yelled at officers, spat, and damaged a government vehicle before fleeing. A handgun was visible in his waistband, though he did not attempt to use it.
Schleicher noted that this prior encounter does not justify the later shooting.
President Trump weighed in on social media, asserting that the newly released footage undermines portrayals of Pretti as a peaceful individual.
He described Pretti as aggressive in the earlier incident and praised the conduct of the ICE officer involved.
The federal investigation remains ongoing, with Minnesota state authorities excluded so far, and questions remain about whether evidence will be shared with local investigators.
