Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has publicly defended the federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, saying they acted appropriately and describing their actions as “a good job,” even as public anger and calls for an independent investigation continue to grow.
Pronounced dead at the scene
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was shot and killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 24. His death came just weeks after another fatal ICE-involved shooting in the city, the killing of Renee Good, and has intensified protests in Minnesota and beyond.
Video footage that circulated widely on social media appears to show Pretti attempting to assist a woman who had been pushed into the snow by a federal agent. Moments later, Pretti was pepper-sprayed, forced to the ground, and shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have confirmed that Pretti was legally carrying a firearm. However, witness accounts and video footage suggest he may have been disarmed before shots were fired. Pretti’s family has strongly disputed official claims that he posed a violent threat, calling the government’s version of events misleading and deeply hurtful.
Pretti’s father described his son as compassionate and socially engaged, saying he was deeply troubled by recent immigration enforcement actions.
“He cared about people deeply,” he said. “He was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset. He thought it was terrible — kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street.”
Bovino places blame on the victim
As demands for a federal investigation intensified, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino addressed the incident during an interview on CNN with anchor Dana Bash.
In his remarks, Bovino placed responsibility for the fatal outcome on Pretti rather than the agents involved.
“The suspect put himself in that situation,” Bovino said. “The victims are the Border Patrol agents there.”
He went on to praise law enforcement training, arguing that it prevented further harm.
“I believe that the fantastic training of our law enforcement partners has prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement,” Bovino said. “So good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that.”
Questions about whether Pretti was armed
Bash pressed Bovino on video footage that appears to show Pretti on the ground and possibly disarmed before he was shot. Bovino declined to offer a definitive assessment, repeatedly emphasizing that an investigation was ongoing.
“Dana, you don’t know that he was unarmed. I don’t know that he was unarmed,” he said. “That is freeze-frame adjudication of a crime scene via a photo. That is why we have investigators. That is why we have an investigation that is going to answer these questions.”
He added that it was not yet clear whether an agent had removed Pretti’s firearm.
“We don’t know that agent was taking his gun away,” Bovino said. “The facts are going to come to light. That is why we investigate.”
Bash challenged Bovino’s framing, noting that while he stressed the importance of waiting for investigative conclusions, he was also making statements that appeared to prejudge the incident.
“With respect, you say that’s why we investigate,” she said, “but you’re also drawing other conclusions that sort of fly in the face of waiting for an investigation.”
Political response and growing criticism
Bovino’s comments have sparked widespread criticism online, particularly from those who argue that multiple video angles contradict claims that Pretti posed an imminent threat when he was shot. Civil rights advocates and community leaders have renewed calls for an independent inquiry into the conduct of federal agents.
Former President Donald Trump also commented on the case, taking a more cautious tone in remarks to the Wall Street Journal.
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