Greg Bovino says agents tied to Alex Pretti shooting reassigned out of state for 'their safety'

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Federal Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis intensive care nurse, have been reassigned outside the city but remain on active duty, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino said Sunday. 

“All agents that were involved in that scene are working not in Minneapolis, but in other locations,” Bovino told reporters. “That’s for their safety.” He said the move was made to prevent “doxxing” of the agents.

The announcement came less than 24 hours after unrest in Minneapolis descended into violence, including an incident in which a protester bit off the finger of a Homeland Security Investigations officer, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

Pretti was shot and killed Saturday during a federal immigration enforcement operation, sparking widespread protests and political backlash.

Video circulating online shows Pretti holding a phone at the time of the encounter.

Authorities later determined he was carrying a concealed weapon, which was removed before he was fatally shot. Bovino declined to say how many shots were fired, telling reporters investigators are still reviewing evidence.

Witness account alleges Alex Pretti was shot while aiding woman

The shooting has drawn pushback from local officials and civil rights advocates demanding accountability and a full investigation.

US District Court Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order Saturday barring the Department of Homeland Security from altering or destroying evidence related to Pretti’s death.

A witness to the shooting provided a sworn declaration alleging Pretti was killed after attempting to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by federal agents. The witness, whose name was redacted in court documents filed by the ACLU of Minnesota, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pepper-sprayed three protesters (including Pretti) before an agent shoved a woman to the ground. Pretti then moved to assist her.

“The ICE agents just kept spraying,” the witness said, according to the declaration. “More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up.”.

According to the declaration, agents pushed Pretti to the ground, and the witness said that “it didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up.”

“They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground, and they just started shooting him,” the witness said. “They shot him so many times.” The witness said they recorded video of the events leading up to the shooting and continued filming for several minutes afterward, according to the declaration.

Courtroom battle over federal agents’ conduct

The witness declaration was submitted as part of an emergency motion by the ACLU seeking to lift a stay on a federal judge’s order barring immigration agents from detaining protesters or using nonlethal weapons against them. Earlier this month, US District Judge Katherine Menendez had ruled that federal agents could not retaliate against peaceful protesters.

The ACLU argued that Pretti’s shooting underscores the “urgent need for intervention to prevent irreparable injury” to protesters and bystanders. The group warned that thousands may continue to take to the streets, making oversight of federal agents critical.

The witness, whose name was redacted in court documents filed by the ACLU of Minnesota, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pepper-sprayed three protesters (including Pretti) before an agent shoved a woman to the ground. Pretti then moved to assist her.

“The ICE agents just kept spraying,” the witness said, according to the declaration. “More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up.”

According to the declaration, agents pushed Pretti to the ground, and the witness said that “it didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up.”

“They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground, and they just started shooting him,” the witness said. “They shot him so many times.” The witness said they recorded video of the events leading up to the shooting and continued filming for several minutes afterward, according to the declaration.

Courtroom battle over federal agents’ conduct

The witness declaration was filed Saturday as part of an emergency motion by the ACLU of Minnesota seeking to lift a stay on a federal judge’s order barring immigration agents from arresting protesters or using nonlethal weapons against them.

Earlier this month, US District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that federal agents deployed to Minnesota were prohibited from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters in retaliation for protected conduct. 

While a federal appeals court stayed that ruling last week, the ACLU argued Saturday that the shooting of Pretti has “created an urgent need for intervention to prevent irreparable injury to the named plaintiffs, protesters, and observers.”

“Appellees anticipate that thousands of protesters and observers will continue to take to the streets to exercise their constitutional rights,” the ACLU said in its filing. “As federal agents deployed to Operation Metro Surge interact with those individuals, it is more essential than ever to reinstate the district court’s narrow, considered injunction to prevent violent retaliation.”