Two DHS agents put on leave over deadly Minneapolis shooting of nurse Alex Pretti
Two Border Patrol agents who shot and killed protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Sources at Homeland Security confirmed to the Daily Mail that the unidentified agents had been suspended pending an investigation into the shooting.
The agents reportedly received mental health support as standard procedure and were placed on automatic administrative leave for at least three days.
Sources say that when managers return, they will not be allowed on the field and will be given desk duties.
The move comes in the wake of increased scrutiny over Pretti’s shooting on Saturday, which came just weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed anti-ICE protester Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Jonathan Ross, the officer involved in Good’s shooting, was placed on administrative leave, but following Pretti’s death, President Trump called for a full investigation into the latest incident.
Trump officials initially sought to portray Pretti as a ‘domestic terrorist’ for being in possession of a legally owned firearm at the time of the shooting, but a new government report debunked claims he was ‘brandishing’ the gun.
The new report claimed there was no evidence that Pretti removed the gun from his hip when an officer shouted ‘gun’ during his arrest.
Footage of the shooting circulating on social media showed a Border Patrol agent disarming Pretti moments before the shooting, before he was shot several times in the back.
Two Border Patrol agents who shot and killed protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis were placed on administrative leave
Pretti, 37, was shot and killed during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week.
The shooting occurred around 9 a.m. Saturday, when agents confronted protesters, according to the new report, which was shared as a requirement for congressional committees to review deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours.
Agents said they were confronted by protesters “yelling and whistling” at them while also blocking the roadway at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
CBP claimed that after protesters made ‘several verbal demands’ for them to stop, the two women confronted the agents, blowing their whistles. They were ordered to move off the road but refused.
They said the women were then ‘pushed’ and one of them ran at Pretti, both of whom again refused to move out of the way.
The officer then pepper-sprayed both of them while trying to arrest Pretti.
‘CBP personnel attempted to detain Pretti. The report alleges that Pretti resisted the efforts of CBP personnel, resulting in a struggle.
‘During the struggle a (Border Patrol agent) shouted, ‘He’s got a gun!’ he shouted. multiple times.”
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Pretti was seen confronting federal agents before he was shot. While his family claimed he was ‘not openly holding a gun’, federal authorities claimed he was ‘brandishing’ a firearm
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed police officers ‘clearly feared for their lives’ after shooting
The report continues: ‘Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) fired his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) fired his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.’
Within five seconds, an agent and a police officer opened fire, one using a Glock 19 and the other a Glock 47.
An agent seized Pretti’s gun and cleared and secured it shortly after the shooting.
CBP attempted to save Pretti’s life by placing chest seals over his wounds at 9:02 a.m., and emergency services and EMTs arrived three minutes later.
At 9:14 a.m., Pretti was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:32 a.m.
The DHS investigation is ongoing and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General has been notified.
“These notices reflect standard Customs and Border Protection protocol and are issued in accordance with existing procedures,” a CBP spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
‘They present a first draft of an event that occurred and do not convey any definitive conclusions or research findings. ‘These are fact-based reports, not analytical judgments, and are presented to inform Congress and promote transparency.’
Trump appeared to rein in Pretti after an icy White House meeting this week, following scrutiny over Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s comments about Pretti, including claims that he was an “assassin.”
Internal scrutiny of Noem intensified after the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old intensive care nurse and Noem fell out with Trump.
According to reports, the President grilled Noem about her handling and initial reaction to the attack during their late-night meeting. Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s adviser and rumored lover, was by her side at the Oval Office summit.
By the end of the night, Noem was ordered to shift her focus away from domestic immigration enforcement operations and focus instead on securing the Southern Border.
Noem’s longtime rival, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, was ordered by Trump to take over the crackdown in Minnesota.
Despite the outrage, Noem is expected to keep her job; Even though a new poll by Daily Mail/JL Partners found his approval rating had fallen to just 33 per cent.
