Trump Official Struggles with Answers About Killing of ICU Nurse, Says ‘the Victims Are the Border Patrol Agents’

After Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis, Gregory Bovino — the U.S. Border Patrol’s commander-at-large — argued that Pretti was responsible for the circumstances that led to his death.

Speaking with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union, Bovino said he would not fault the agents involved.

“The victims are the Border Patrol agents — I’m not blaming the Border Patrol agents,” Bovino said. “The suspect put himself in that situation. The victims are the Border Patrol agents there.”

Bovino added that investigators need to consider “the situation in its totality,” including what happened before the encounter escalated.

“The suspect decided to inject himself into a law enforcement action,” he said. He claimed agents were carrying out what he described as a targeted operation “against a violent illegal alien that was nearby,” and alleged that Pretti “injected himself into that law enforcement situation with a weapon.”

Later in the interview, Bash said photos and video from the scene appear to show Pretti’s gun had been taken before he was shot. Bovino maintained Pretti still posed a threat even after what he described as de-escalation efforts, though he did not clearly detail what actions made Pretti dangerous in that moment.

“He was in the scene actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement,” Bovino said. “He was there for a reason and that reason was to impede law enforcement.”

Bovino also described the environment officers faced as unstable and volatile.

“What our officers are faced with here in Minneapolis are chaotic, very difficult and violent situations,” he said, warning people to follow police directions and not to “inject” themselves into law enforcement activity.

On the day of the incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a social media statement that an individual “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” when agents tried to disarm him. DHS said an agent then “fired defensive shots” at Pretti.

However, footage verified by The New York Times appears to contradict parts of that narrative. In the video, Pretti is seen among a group of protesters holding what appears to be only his phone as an agent sprays pepper spray toward the crowd. Several agents then move in and pin him to the sidewalk.

According to the Times, Pretti’s gun appeared to have already been removed from its holster by an agent before he was shot in the back. He was hit by at least 10 rounds fired in roughly five seconds.

Bash noted during the Jan. 25 interview that none of the footage she referenced showed Pretti “brandish” a weapon. Bovino said the ongoing investigation would address unanswered questions.

“We do know that the suspect did bring a weapon, a loaded 9-millimeter high-capacity handgun, to a riot,” he said. “We do know that as far as what happened in that intervening moment… that’s going to come to light through the investigation… and those facts and those questions will be answered soon enough.”