A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) national security prosecutor has described what he views as potential tactical and accountability failures in the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an American citizen, in Minneapolis.
“The tragic shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an American citizen, is a case study in what happens when we put federal agents in civilian situations without proper training or expectations of accountability,” Javad M. Khazaeli—Founding Partner at Khazaeli Wyrsch, LLC and a former ICE National Security prosecutor—told Newsweek.
Newsweek said it contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by email Sunday afternoon, outside normal business hours, seeking comment.
Why It Matters
Pretti’s death comes just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. Both were 37 years old and both were Minneapolis residents—two incidents that have intensified scrutiny of federal law-enforcement activity in the city.
The shootings have also fueled competing accounts from federal and state officials. In both cases, bystander video has circulated widely online, driving public debate and criticism.
What To Know
In a statement issued Saturday, DHS said a suspect approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. According to the agency, officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the person “violently resisted,” leading an agent to fire what DHS described as defensive shots.
State officials have challenged that version, particularly as additional video has surfaced. One clip appears to show Pretti holding his phone in one hand while raising his other hand—empty—above his head before agents move in.
“The vast majority of agents on the ground in Minneapolis right now are either brand new hires, or are Customs and Border Protection agents that spent their career checking passports,” Khazaeli said.
“They are not trained to operate in a civilian area, particularly in a high-stakes crowd setting like we are seeing in Minneapolis,” he added. “After the Renee Goode shooting, the Trump DOJ has been clear—it will not investigate when immigration officers kill citizens.”
“Untrained armed officers who know they will not be held accountable will inevitably use excessive force and kill people,” Khazaeli said.
Video Review of the Pretti Shooting
A video posted to social media shows a group of federal agents struggling with a person identified as Pretti. Multiple agents appear to try to pull him to the ground. Moments later, gunshots are heard. Pretti is then seen lying motionless, while a bystander filming the scene reacts: “They killed that guy! Did they f***ing kill that guy?”
“Properly trained officers do not resort to a multi-officer beatdown like we see in this video,” Khazaeli said. “At that point, there is no question that they were not trying to take Mr. Pretti safely into custody; the officers are simply beating him in retaliation.”
Khazaeli said it’s still unclear what triggered the first shot. But, he added, the footage appears to show Pretti collapsing and stopping movement immediately after that first gunshot.
“Then there is a pause followed by multiple shots at a person who was already incapacitated and was not a threat—that is the definition of excessive force,” Khazaeli said.
