DHS report says two officers fired guns during Alex Pretti encounter in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Two federal officers discharged their weapons during the fatal encounter with Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, according to an initial Department of Homeland Security report submitted to Congress and reviewed by CNN.

The report offers the first official timeline from Customs and Border Protection as multiple investigations continue into the death of the 37-year-old US citizen, whose killing has sparked protests, public scrutiny, and competing accounts of what unfolded on the street. 

DHS details officer shooting timeline

According to the report, Customs and Border Protection personnel attempted to take Alex Pretti into custody during enforcement operations in Minneapolis, but he resisted, leading to a physical struggle on the ground.

“CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued,” the report states. During the struggle, a Border Patrol agent repeatedly warned other officers about a firearm.

“During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times,” the report says.

Approximately five seconds later, two officers fired their agency-issued weapons. The DHS report specifies that both officers discharged CBP-issued firearms during the encounter.

“Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti,” the report states. The document does not clarify whether bullets fired by both officers struck Pretti.

Questions have circulated publicly over whether Pretti’s own firearm was discharged during the struggle. The report, however, states that officers fired only their agency-issued weapons.

CNN analysis shows firearm removed before shooting

A CNN analysis of bystander footage captured from multiple angles found that an officer appeared to remove Alex Pretti’s firearm from his waist moments before the shooting occurred.

The DHS report corroborates that officers later secured the weapon.

“After the shooting, a (Border Patrol agent) advised he had possession of Pretti’s firearm,” the report states, adding that the weapon was cleared and secured inside a vehicle.

The report also outlines events leading up to the confrontation, stating that a Border Patrol officer was initially confronted by two female civilians who were blowing whistles. According to the report, the officer ordered them to move out of the roadway, but they did not comply.

The officer then pushed both civilians away, after which one of the women ran toward a man later identified as Pretti. Officers subsequently attempted to take Pretti into custody.

CBP aid followed by multiple probes

According to the report, Customs and Border Protection personnel provided medical assistance immediately after the shooting. “CBP personnel cut Pretti’s clothing and provided medical aid to him by placing chest seals on his wounds,” the report states.

More than 10 minutes after Alex Pretti was shot, Minneapolis Fire Department Emergency Medical Services transported him to Hennepin County Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at approximately 9:32 am.

The report reviewed by CNN was produced by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates potential criminal conduct by agency personnel.

It is the first formal document released amid several ongoing investigations, including probes by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division and Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The report notes that an autopsy will be conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and that CBP investigators will request official findings once the examination is complete.