Parents of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen shot by ICE, are ‘begging’ the DOJ for evidence after 275 days, and their lawyer asks ‘What are they hiding?’

The parents of Alex Pretti say federal officials have given them little information about the investigation into his death. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 during Operation Metro Surge, a federal operation in the Minneapolis area.

According to MPR News, Michael and Susan Pretti spoke on Oct. 27 alongside their attorney, Steve Schleicher. Michael Pretti stated that federal officials “have ignored us, misled us and shielded Alex’s killers.” He added that U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen has refused to share updates, and that his only reply has been “I can’t tell you.”

Susan Pretti stated, “The federal government went on TV and lied about Alex.” Schleicher urged the Justice Department to release all of the evidence, stating, “Stop being the Department of Obstruction and begin being the Department of Justice.”

How the shooting unfolded

According to ABC News, the encounter began around 8:58 a.m. on Nicollet Avenue, where federal officers had gathered. Video shows Pretti raising a phone toward officers who appeared to be moving a detainee. At about 9 a.m., an officer pepper-sprayed him, and several officers then held him down. Footage then shows an officer who appears to take a handgun from Pretti’s waist, and the first shot followed moments later.

An audio analysis commissioned by the outlet counted 10 shots in under five seconds. A doctor’s sworn affidavit described at least three wounds to his back. Federal officials stated that Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.” The outlet stated that the videos “appear to contradict, at least in part,” that account.

According to CBS Minnesota, Border Patrol officers shot Pretti, and a report to Congress stated two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents fired their weapons. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that Pretti had a permit to carry a gun. On the evening of the shooting, a crowd of thousands came to the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis to demand justice, lighting candles and holding signs. Local coverage described the gathering as peaceful.

Demonstrations spread in the following days. On Jan. 30, a crowd of several thousand assembled in downtown Minneapolis in sub-zero cold, and organizers listed about 250 sites in 46 states. Their website called for “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.” Schools in Aurora, Colorado, shut for the day over expected absences.

The Justice Department defended its process, stating, “The timing is consistent with how these types of investigations proceed.” It noted that contact with family members usually happens at later stages of a case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the news conference. According to Wikipedia, Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025, and arrests by federal agents topped 3,000. Renee Good was fatally shot by a federal agent on Jan. 7.

An autopsy released on Feb. 2 ruled Pretti’s death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds. The page states that Todd Blanche, who was then deputy attorney general, announced a federal civil rights investigation on Jan. 30. In February, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) stated that the FBI was refusing to share evidence, and BCA Superintendent Drew Evans called the refusal “concerning and unprecedented.”

In March, Minnesota officials sued the administration for access to evidence in the Pretti case and in the fatal shooting of Good. County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced in July that Rosen had begun sharing evidence. Later court filings state that evidence sharing was placed “on pause indefinitely.” The station also stated that the agents have not been charged in the Pretti case.

Immigration enforcement is also the subject of a separate report in which a woman alleges ICE agents took her away after a green card interview ended in an arrest.