The Justice Department is now officially investigating the death of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, as President Donald Trump ramped up his rhetoric against the victim, calling him an “agitator and insurrectionist.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed Friday that the DOJ has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death. “We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Blanche said. He added that investigators currently do not know the whereabouts of Pretti’s phone or the gun he had on him prior to his death, a detail that has fueled further scrutiny of the federal response.
The probe follows weeks of escalating controversy over the actions of ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, including the earlier fatal shooting of Renee Good, and a video taken on Jan. 13 showing Pretti in an altercation with federal agents. The footage, shared online this week, appears to show Pretti yelling at officers and violently kicking the back of a government vehicle, breaking a taillight, though it is unclear what preceded the confrontation.
Trump used that video to double down on his criticism, posting on Truth Social Friday: “Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces.”
He added: “It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
The president’s comments mark a sharp escalation from his earlier remarks expressing a desire to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota. Other Trump officials initially described Pretti as a “gunman,” “domestic terrorist,” and “would-be assassin,” citing the fact that he was legally carrying a firearm, before pulling back in the face of bipartisan criticism.
The Justice Department’s civil rights investigation, now FBI-led, represents a significant pivot from earlier Trump administration attempts to manage the narrative internally within Homeland Security. Investigators will examine whether federal agents violated Pretti’s civil rights under color of law, a legal avenue that rarely results in charges but carries political weight amid nationwide protests and intense scrutiny.
Minneapolis has erupted in demonstrations since the shooting, with activists and coalition groups organizing walkouts, marches, and solidarity actions nationwide. Local leaders are demanding transparency, independent oversight, and accountability for federal agents’ actions.
