Tim Walz says Trump overseeing Alex Pretti shooting investigation is ‘wrong on so many levels’
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Following the fatal shooting of 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti by federalfederal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24, Gov. Tim Walz criticized President Donald Trump’s involvement in the investigation.
Trump had stated that he would personally oversee a “big investigation” into the matter, prompting criticism from state officials. The shooting has heightened tensions between state and federal authorities as questions mount over investigative access and oversight.
Trump’s involvement sparks criticism from Tim Walz
Trump told reporters at the White House that he wants to personally monitor the investigation into Pretti’s death, saying, “I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it.” In response, Walz called the president’s oversight “wrong on so many levels” during a street interview with NBC News.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was fatally shot by two federal agents during a anti-ICE protest. He is the second person to die in encounters with federal immigration officials in Minnesota during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, following the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier this month.
Walz emphasized that presidential involvement is “the last thing that we want” amid the ongoing investigation, highlighting concerns over state authority and due process.
Walz’s remarks come after a turbulent week of dialogue and public statements between federal leaders and Minnesota officials. During a Saturday press conference, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Superintendent Drew Evans said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had denied the state agency access to the shooting scene.
Evans noted that this happened despite the BCA having obtained a signed warrant authorizing entry. “We’re in uncharted territory here,” Evans said.
He continued, “It’s been a long-standing understanding, both within our state and across the country, that entities like the BCA that conduct 80-plus percent of officer-involved shootings across the United States are asked to do these investigations of federal agents involved in officer-involved shootings.”
Minnesota ICE agents under scrutiny after Alex Pretti shooting
After a Monday phone call with Trump, Walz said the president told him he would consider pulling federal agents out of the state and would speak with the DHS about ensuring Minnesota investigators have access to materials in the Pretti case.
Walz told NBC that he currently has “no evidence” that federal agents have begun leaving the state. Additionally, both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey met with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, on Tuesday, January 27.
Homan described the meeting as “a productive starting point.” In a Tuesday evening interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Walz also called the meeting with the border czar “progress.”
Walz said, “That’s progress, but they started this fire, so we’re not giving anybody credit for putting it out. But right now, what we need is a return to normalcy by the ICE agents out of here.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a CNN town hall that the federal government’s lack of cooperation in investigating the shooting and killing of citizens “feels like a coverup.” Ellison was asked how the state can investigate potential criminal activity when it still doesn’t know the names of the agents involved in Pretti’s fatal shooting.
Ellison responded, “It’s rather absurd that the names are not public already. Look, I’ve been a lawyer for 36 years. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Authorities confirmed that the two federal agents involved in Pretti’s death have been put on administrative leave, a routine procedure during active investigations.
