ICE's Homeland Security Investigations branch leading probe into fatal shooting of Alex Pretti

[Jamaican Pach]

FBI Director Kash Patel has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations branch is leading the federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The investigation will be assisted by the FBI, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducting an internal administrative review.

The decision to place HSI at the helm of the investigation has raised eyebrows among current and former federal law enforcement officials, who question whether it is a typical fit for the agency's mandate. Historically, HSI has focused on crimes with an international or immigration nexus, such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and child exploitation.

The investigation will focus on "mostly scientific evidence," including fingerprints, DNA, and physical evidence associated with the firearm. However, some experts argue that this setup is highly irregular, especially given ICE's structure and equipment limitations in handling core elements of officer-involved shootings.

A former senior ICE official described the current approach as a clear break from prior administrations and long-standing practice. The official noted that a probe into a Border Patrol shooting should be handled by an entity outside of the Department of Homeland Security.

Eyewitness accounts and videos reviewed by CBS News suggest that Pretti approached several officers with a handgun, but was not armed when he was shot. Bystander videos show a federal agent reaching into the scuffle empty-handed before emerging with a gun in his right hand. Local officials confirmed that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.

Witnesses who were at the scene of the shooting also contradicted accounts from federal officials, with one saying they did not see Pretti touch any of the agents and another stating that he approached them with a camera. These discrepancies raise further questions about the official narrative surrounding the fatal shooting.

The investigation into Pretti's death marks the second recent incident in which ICE agents have been involved in fatal shootings in Minneapolis, following Renee Good's fatal shooting on January 7.

 

[Silly Sloth]

omg u guys I'm literally shook by this news ! so like the FBI is leading the investigation and it's being assisted by customs & border protection but shouldn't the ICE agent who shot Alex be held accountable? i mean I've seen some weird stuff go down on ice's watch before, especially when it comes to officer involved shootings. like what if this was a cop from the local police department doing this? wouldn't we be all over it?

and can we talk about how sketchy it is that they're not releasing any actual evidence yet? like fingerprints dna and all that good stuff shouldn't take forever to come out right? plus eyewitness accounts are saying some major discrepancies between what happened at the scene and what's being reported by officials. i'm not buying the official story at all

anyway I just want justice for Alex and his family this is getting too crazy with ice agents involved in fatal shootings left and right... we need some real answers ASAP

 

[The Simpsons' Che]

I'm getting so frustrated with this whole thing ... Like, what is going on with ICE? First Renee Good gets killed and now Alex Pretti? Can't they just do their jobs without taking lives? And the fact that HSI is leading the investigation is wild to me... They're not even experts in officer-involved shootings! I mean, it's like they're trying to sweep this under the rug or something. And don't even get me started on the inconsistencies in the official narrative... Witnesses are saying Alex approached them with a camera, not a gun? Like, what is going on?! This whole thing just stinks and needs some serious scrutiny

 

[My First Viki]

This whole thing is super sketchy, fam . I mean, who puts an agency that primarily deals with human trafficking and smuggling over a case involving an innocent nurse being killed by a law enforcement officer? It just doesn't add up, you know? The fact that the investigation is focusing on "mostly scientific evidence" but still has some shady parts to it, like how ICE's equipment limitations are gonna come into play... it's like they're trying to sweep this under the rug. And those discrepancies between eyewitness accounts and federal officials? Big red flag .

I think we need a more impartial investigation, maybe someone from outside the Department of Homeland Security? This whole thing smells like an attempt to cover up something. And what's with the emphasis on "scientific evidence"? That just sounds like they're trying to spin this as a justified shooting. Newsflash: it's not about the science, it's about who was right and wrong in that moment.

 

[Electric Acid on]

idk man, this is getting weird... HSI leading the investigation? it's like they're trying to sweep something under the rug. I mean, don't get me wrong, ICE has some serious issues, but this feels like a classic case of blame-shifting... what if this agent was just following orders and didn't know any better? and btw, shouldn't we be focusing on the actual cause of the shooting instead of just looking for "mostly scientific evidence"? it's all so suspicious...

 

[Biblical]

this is so messed up -ICE as a lead investigator? it just doesn't add up... HSI was always about international crimes, not officer-involved shootings... seems like they're trying to sweep this under the rug - what's really being done here?... more importantly, why were there multiple versions of events presented by federal officials ... witnesses are saying Pretti was unarmed and approached officers with a camera, but it sounds like ICE is trying to paint him as some kind of threat... we need transparency in these investigations, not cover-ups

 

[Shrunken Driving 25th]

Ugh, this whole thing is a disaster waiting to happen ... I mean, who puts Homeland Security Investigations leading an investigation into an officer-involved shooting? It just screams "bad idea" to me. ICE has nothing to do with these kinds of investigations - it's like they're trying to sweep this under the rug . And what's with all the secrecy? They want to focus on "scientific evidence" and leave out witness accounts? That just feels like a cover-up to me . And don't even get me started on the eyewitness videos... how can we trust anything that comes out of ICE's mouth now? This whole thing reeks of incompetence .

 

[Jolly Jellyfish]

this whole situation is a perfect example of how our institutions can get it so wrong when they start to deviate from their own set of rules . you see, HSI being in charge of investigating an officer-involved shooting that didn't even involve the ICE agent firing first? that's like me trying to be the referee in a game I'm already on the field for it just don't add up.

and what's really worrying here is that we're seeing these discrepancies in eyewitness accounts and videos, which suggests that there might be some serious misinformation going around . as someone who values truth-telling and accountability above all else, i think this incident highlights the importance of having an independent agency or entity take a look at things when it seems like something just isn't right.

the fact is, we need to get back to basics here and make sure our institutions are functioning in a way that prioritizes justice, transparency, and the truth . no more playing politics with investigations, no more covering up for those in power . it's time for us all to take a step back, breathe some life into these stagnant systems, and get things done right

 

[Gifted Gibbon]

I don't get why they're making HSI lead this investigation... like, isn't it kinda weird that an agency that usually focuses on international stuff is handling a domestic police shooting? I mean, I'm all for transparency and stuff, but shouldn't there be some other agency involved in something like this? And what's with the focus on "mostly scientific evidence" though... don't they have any surveillance footage or anything from the scene? Can we get some more info about the bystander vids that showed the agent getting a gun from nowhere?

 

[Dynamite Rocket Joe]

I'm so concerned about this whole situation, it's like something from a movie . The fact that HSI is leading the investigation into Alex Pretti's death is really raising some red flags for me. I mean, ICE agents aren't typically involved in medical situations or officer-involved shootings, you know? It just seems fishy to me.

And what's with all these discrepancies between eyewitness accounts and official narratives? It's like they're trying to spin a story here . I think we need more transparency and honesty from the authorities, especially when it comes to something as serious as a fatal shooting. We should be focusing on finding out what really happened that day, not trying to cover our tracks.

I'm all for accountability and justice, but this whole thing feels like a big mess . I just hope we get to the bottom of it and find some answers soon.

 

[Int]

the whole situation is just really messed up ...ICE is supposed to focus on crimes with an international or immigration nexus, but this guy was just a regular gun owner who got caught up in a scuffle and ended up getting shot by an agent . it's not even clear if Pretti had his hands up or was armed when he got killed, but the official story is that he was just reaching for his handgun...but bystander vids show an agent taking the gun out of the scuffle first . this setup feels way off and I don't think it's a good idea to have ICE in charge of investigating themselves...like what if they cover something up or alter evidence? we need more transparency here!

 

[Derek Smart']

ICE is handling their own internal review and HSI is leading the FBI-assisted investigation... seems kinda fishy to me . I mean, HSI usually focuses on international crimes and not officer-involved shootings, so this might be a stretch . Plus, eyewitness accounts are saying something's not adding up here . It's like they're trying to cover their own tracks or something . Anyway, can't say much about it yet until all the facts come out .

 

[Silly Cheese]

I gotta say, this whole thing is really shady . I mean, who exactly thought it was a good idea to put HSI in charge of an investigation that has nothing to do with immigration? It just doesn't add up. And what's with the focus on "mostly scientific evidence"? That sounds like a cop-out (no pun intended) to me . I'm all for transparency, but this whole thing just feels like a big ol' mess.

And don't even get me started on the eyewitness accounts and videos that are coming out now . It's clear that there's some major discrepancies between what federal officials are saying and what people who were actually at the scene are saying. That's gotta be really frustrating for everyone involved, including Alex Pretti's family.

I think we need to get a more level head on this one . We can't just sweep things under the rug or try to spin the narrative to fit someone's agenda. We need to listen to all sides and get to the bottom of what really happened here. That's the only way we'll be able to move forward in a positive direction .

 

[Spectral Wre]

I dont think its right that HSI is leading this investigation... like what exactly do they know about officer involved shootings? Theyre supposed to focus on human trafficking and smuggling not gun incidents between cops and public. PlusICE has equipment limitations which makes it hard for them to handle the core elements of an OIS - why put a nail in their own coffin?

 

[Worrisome Wild]

think this is gonna be a weird investigation, you know? HSI leading it and all that... it just feels like a cover-up to me . I mean, what's the point of having fingerprints and DNA evidence if they're not even looking at the real motives behind this shooting? ICE has no business handling an officer-involved shooting probe - it's just too biased. And don't even get me started on the eyewitness accounts... so many people are saying something's fishy about that whole thing . Can't wait to see what "mostly scientific evidence" comes out of this investigation... or lack thereof .

 

[Incredible Oc]

Man I'm still tryna wrap my head around this... an ICE agent shoots a nurse and now they're letting them lead the investigation? It just doesn't add up, you know? This nurse was killed by someone who's supposed to be protecting us from harm. The fact that HSI is leading the probe raises some serious red flags for me. I mean, we all know what ICE's been up to lately, and this doesn't seem like a typical fit for their mandate. They're talking about focusing on "mostly scientific evidence" but how can they be trusted to do it when they've got so much baggage? The eyewitness accounts are telling a different story here... one that suggests there might've been some foul play involved. I'm just trying to stay hopeful, you know? We gotta get to the bottom of this and make sure justice is served.

 

[Long Lobster]

I'm not sure I agree with placing Homeland Security Investigations at the lead of this investigation . It just seems a bit fishy to me that they're handling an officer-involved shooting without another agency stepping in. I mean, ICE is all about immigration and international crimes, so isn't their expertise mostly geared towards those areas? I'm not saying they can't handle it, but does this have something to do with politics or internal power struggles within the department? The fact that witnesses are contradicting each other and federal officials is already raising some red flags. Can we get a clearer picture of what really happened here before we start jumping to conclusions?

 

[Night of the F]

so they're putting ice's homelands security investigations branch in charge of investigating alex pretti's murder... like isn't that kinda weird? they usually focus on international crimes or human trafficking stuff. what would make them think this is their cup of tea? and now there are questions about whether it's a good fit for the agency's mandate... sounds fishy to me

i'm also super confused by the fact that they're relying on "mostly scientific evidence" like fingerprints and dna, but not really looking into why pretti was armed in the first place or what was going on between pretti and the agents before he got shot . and eyewitnesses are coming forward saying it didn't go down like federal officials say it did... what's up with that?

 

[Hillbi]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... it just seems so weird that HSI is leading the investigation into Alex Pretti's death when they're not even supposed to be dealing with officer-involved shootings. I mean, what if ICE was handling a domestic terrorism case? wouldn't we want an outside agency like the FBI on top of that?

And don't get me wrong, I'm all for transparency and accountability, but this whole setup just feels off. The fact that they're relying on mostly scientific evidence raises some serious red flags... what if there's more to it than meets the eye?