After intense public scrutiny and political pressure, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the killing of 37-year-old Minnesota nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed last weekend by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the move Friday, directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to lead the probe into whether the actions of the agents involved violated Pretti’s civil rights and to examine the broader circumstances of the incident.
The announcement marks a departure from the Trump administration’s initial handling of the case, which had placed the investigation primarily in the hands of Homeland Security Investigations — a division of the Department of Homeland Security — raising concerns from legal experts and some federal prosecutors about transparency and accountability. In the days following Pretti’s death, several prosecutors reportedly resigned in protest of the earlier decision not to open a civil rights inquiry after a prior federal agent-involved killing in the city.
Video footage that quickly spread online contradicted initial statements from senior administration officials about Pretti’s behavior, showing him holding a cellphone moments before the fatal encounter and being tackled by agents before shots were fired. Pretti was legally permitted to carry a firearm, but video evidence suggests he was disarmed before the first shots were fired.
The killing has sparked widespread outrage in Minneapolis and beyond, fueling protests against the ongoing federal immigration enforcement operation in the city and raising bipartisan calls for accountability and changes to how federal agents use force. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have both pressed for deeper scrutiny of the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended federal agents’ actions and her department’s response, even as critics accuse DHS of minimizing critical evidence and resisting external oversight. Calls for her resignation have grown amid the controversy.
The DOJ’s decision to pursue a civil rights investigation is seen by legal advocates as a potentially important step toward accountability in federal law enforcement shootings, though watchdog groups note that prosecutions in such cases remain rare. The FBI’s leadership of the inquiry, with support from civil rights attorneys, may bring greater independence to the process as investigators review footage, witness accounts, and the agents’ conduct leading up to and during the shooting.