The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of Alex Pretti a homicide, nine days after the 37-year-old intensive care nurse was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis. The ruling, released online on Monday, stated that Pretti suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died on the same day, but provided no further details about the autopsy.
Pretti's death follows that of Renee Nicole Good, who was also fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis and whose death was also ruled a homicide. In response to growing calls for accountability, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that body-worn cameras would be distributed to all immigration enforcement officials in Minneapolis. 'Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,' Noem wrote on X, adding that the programme would be expanded nationwide as funding allows.
Two federal immigration agents involved in Pretti's death have been identified as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35. Both are from Texas and were assigned to 'Operation Metro Surge', a deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minnesota in December to carry out the Trump administration's anti-immigration crackdown. Top officials had previously characterised both Good and Pretti as perpetrators of 'domestic terrorism', despite footage appearing to contradict those claims.
In recent days, the administration has appeared to walk back its aggressive approach. Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had ordered the DHS not to intervene in protests in Democratic-led cities unless local leaders ask for help, though he noted federal officers would still be 'very forceful' in protecting federal property. More than 300 'ICE Out of Everywhere' protests took place on Saturday, with a 'national shutdown' event on Friday encouraging people to skip work, school and shopping.
