Alex Pretti’s family say they have no answers nine months after federal agents killed him

Pretti family presses Justice Department for answers after Minneapolis shooting

Activelifezero.com – Nine months after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis, his parents say federal authorities have provided no meaningful explanation of the investigation into their son’s death.

Michael and Susan Pretti are accusing the Department of Justice of failing to meet obligations under a federal victims’ rights law. In a July letter sent to Attorney General Todd Blanche, their attorney described the department’s handling of the case as “cruel” and said the family has been left without substantive information about the federal inquiry.

“The government’s pattern of conduct is not only unconscionable, but unlawful,” the letter states.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and US citizen, was killed in January during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. His parents and their lawyer were scheduled to speak publicly Tuesday at an 11 a.m. CT news conference, their first media appearance since his death.

Dispute over access to evidence

The family’s complaint centers partly on a July 13 meeting with Dan Rosen, the US Attorney for the District of Minnesota. That meeting occurred on the same day Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that federal officials had delivered substantial evidence related to the shooting.

Despite that public announcement, the letter says Rosen would not provide the family with details about the evidence-sharing arrangement or confirm it existed. The attorney wrote that repeated refusals to explain the government’s position had deepened the family’s grief.

“It is impossible to convey how the government’s refusal to engage in transparent communication with the Pretti family has compounded their heartbreak,” the missive says.

The letter also recounts Rosen’s response when pressed for an explanation.

“I can’t tell you for all kinds of reasons,” Rosen said, without identifying those reasons, the letter states.

The dispute has expanded beyond the family’s request for information. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has said federal investigators initially agreed to provide evidence to state law enforcement but later stopped cooperating. Ellison is leading a lawsuit seeking access to the remainder of the federal file.

“We are in litigation with the federal government right now to secure the rest of the remaining file, which they could give us this morning if they were inclined to do so, but it looks like we’re going to need a court order. I’m sorry that it comes to that,” Ellison said Tuesday.

“Any prosecutor can tell you you can’t go forward with half a file. You need the whole thing.”

The conflict highlights a practical challenge in investigations involving federal officers: state and local authorities may need complete investigative records to determine whether their own review can move ahead. Without the full evidence set, prosecutors and investigators may be unable to assess events comprehensively, reconcile witness accounts or reach independent conclusions.

Video raised questions about official account

The fatal encounter was recorded on video from beginning to end. The footage became central to public scrutiny because it appeared to conflict with early statements from Department of Homeland Security officials.

Kristi Noem, who was then DHS secretary, initially called Pretti a “terrorist” who had “attacked” officers after “brandishing” a weapon. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described him as an “assassin” who had tried to kill federal agents. The video, however, did not support the broad characterization that Pretti had attacked officers with a weapon.

In the minutes before the shooting, immigration agents were moving through a Minneapolis street and engaging with people nearby. Witness Nilson Barahona said agents were attempting to take someone into custody after that person ran into a donut shop, which locked its doors. Federal officers remained on the sidewalk and street outside.

One observer was detained while others shouted, blew whistles and used phones to record what was happening. Video shows Pretti stepping into a confrontation involving an observer and the agents. During that struggle, he was sprayed in the face with pepper spray.

As Pretti was on his knees and leaning forward, an officer can be heard yelling, “Gun! Gun! Gun!” An agent then removed a gun from Pretti’s waistband and moved away from the struggle. At roughly the same moment, another agent drew a service weapon.

About a second after the agent carrying Pretti’s gun had left the immediate area, the officer with the drawn weapon appeared to fire several rounds at Pretti. A second agent then pulled a weapon as another shot sounded, before raising the gun and firing additional rounds. The recording captures at least 10 gunshots.

An initial DHS investigative report says an officer repeatedly yelled, “He’s got a gun” before agents fired.

A broader series of January shootings

Pretti’s killing came during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement effort that also saw immigration agents shoot Renee Good fatally on January 7 and Julio Sosa-Celis on January 14. Sosa-Celis survived his injuries.

For the Pretti family, the unanswered questions are both legal and personal. Their July letter argues that transparency is not simply a matter of public interest but a right owed to relatives of a person killed in an encounter involving federal agents. The pending fight over evidence may determine how quickly Minnesota authorities can conduct their own review and whether the family receives a fuller account of the decisions made in the final seconds of Alex Pretti’s life.