Agents In Pretti Shooting ID'd In Report

MINNEAPOLIS — The masked immigration agents who shot at Alex Pretti — a 37-year-old nurse killed last month by federal authorities while protesting in Minneapolis — were identified Sunday in a report by ProPublica.

Citing government records viewed by the outlet, ProPublica named Jesus Ochoa, a 43-year-old Border Patrol agent, and Raymundo Gutierrez, a 35-year-old Customs and Border Protection officer, as the shooters.

The men, who fired Glock pistols during the incident on Jan. 24, have been placed on leave, according to ProPublica, which reported Ochoa and Gutierrez are both from South Texas. Ochoa joined Customs and Border Protection in 2018 and Gutierrez joined in 2014, the outlet reported, noting the agency has refused to release their names.

The Department of Justice announced Friday it had opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating as well.

Authorities said Pretti had a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. He was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.

Video footage of the shooting appears to show that Pretti was on the ground with his gun removed from his person when he was killed.

The incident was the second death of an American citizen to take place in January during an encounter with federal authorities in Minneapolis.

The killing sparked widespread outrage and intensified criticism of the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.