Investigators in Minnesota say it’s ‘concerning and unprecedented’ that the FBI will not share any evidence collected in the investigation into the death of Alex Pretti.
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot to death by Department of Homeland Security officers in a devastating incident caught on video.
His killing is now being investigated by both the Department of Justice’s civil rights division and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Drew Evans, the superintendent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Monday that the FBI has formally told them they will not offer any access to information or evidence.
He added that their request was a repeat of the ones they asked for in connection to the shootings of Renee Good and Julio Sosa-Celis.
‘While this lack of cooperation is concerning and unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of these incidents, even if hampered by a lack of access to key information and evidence,’ Evans said.
He said that the door remains open to cooperating with the FBI and DOJ ‘should its stance change.’
When reached by The Daily Mail for comment, a spokesperson for the FBI directed us to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s comments on January 30 announcing their own investigation.
Investigators in Minnesota say it’s ‘concerning and unprecedented’ that the FBI will not share any evidence collected in the investigation into the death of Alex Pretti
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot to death by Department of Homeland Security officers in a devastating incident caught on video
That day, Blanche marked a total reversal from the Trump administration’s approach to the case, which officials originally indicated would be confined to a narrow DHS review focused on use-of-force by the agents.
‘There are thousands, unfortunately, of law enforcement events every year where somebody is shot,’ Blanche said.
Pretti, 37, was shot dead by Border Patrol agents after filming deportation operations on January 24.
An intensive care unit nurse for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pretti was armed with a handgun and multiple magazines full of ammunition when he was apprehended by half a dozen agents.
Though he had a concealed carry permit, Pretti was shot around 10 times after officers claimed he resisted arrest, leading to a scuffle with law enforcement.
Pretti was pepper-sprayed during the incident and agents can be heard talking about the nurse being armed before they shot him. However, one of the agents disarmed Pretti shortly before he was shot.
Noem claimed that Pretti brandished his weapon to law enforcement during the interaction, but bystander video does not show any such brandishing, and a preliminary internal DHS investigation also found that Pretti did not flash his firearm.
‘FBI is now leading the Pretti investigation with HSI supporting,’ a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. ‘This is separate from the CBP investigation.’
Drew Evans (pictured), the superintendent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Monday that the FBI has formally told them they will not offer any access to information or evidence
The FBI has not assisted Minnesota in investigations into any of the recent ICE-involved shooting. Pictured: Director Kash Patel
Noem has found herself increasingly isolated in Trump’s cabinet amid the fallout from the fatal shootings Pretti and Renee Good, a mother of three.
Noem’s public rhetoric after the shooting intensified scrutiny of her judgment and command of the department. She accused Pretti of being an armed domestic terrorist seeking to do harm to law enforcement.
Footage later emerged showing Border Patrol agents removed Pretti’s holstered gun before shooting the ICU nurse dead.
Moreover, DHS insiders tell the Daily Mail she has lost the confidence of large swaths of rank-and-file ICE and Border Patrol officials, who accuse her of sidelining experienced leadership, chasing media-driven enforcement actions, and creating confusion on the ground.
Trump, in response, installed her longtime rival, Border Czar Tom Homan, to oversee immigration operations in Minneapolis while Noem engages in a blame game with Stephen Miller.
The DOJ’s new probe into the death of Pretti contrasts from their response from Good’s fatal shooting earlier this month.
The Justice Department refused to open a civil rights investigation into Good’s shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
At the time, Blanche stated there was no basis for an investigation.
