Alex Pretti’s parents demand evidence in fatal Minneapolis shooting

The parents of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse fatally shot by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, demanded Tuesday that the Justice Department release evidence about their son’s death and hold those responsible accountable. They said federal officials have left them without basic answers for 275 days.

“At every turn, they have ignored us, misled us and shielded Alex’s killers,” Michael Pretti said at a news conference alongside his wife, Susan. “We are a family who love this country. We trust in the institutions of this country. We believe in the rule of law – and that people should be held accountable through that law.”

Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who worked at a veterans hospital, was shot on Jan. 24. His parents said they sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche over the summer seeking information, including the identities of the officers involved. According to The Guardian, they also tried for months to meet with Dan Rosen, the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota. They said Rosen met with them in July but did not provide basic information about the investigation’s status.

“We want our son’s killers to be brought into justice once and for all,” Susan Pretti said. “We are here begging for the Department of Justice to do what is right.”

Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels told NBC News that officials do not typically communicate with victims’ families during an investigation. “As is standard practice, communications with family members, if any, come at a later stage of a case, such as indictment, initial appearance, plea, trial, or sentencing,” she said. “The timing is consistent with how these types of investigations proceed.” The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the FBI, NBC News reported.

The family’s demand comes amid a dispute between federal and Minnesota authorities over access to evidence. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said last week that the federal government had stopped sharing information with state investigators examining the fatal shootings of Pretti and Renee Good. Her office sued the Trump administration in March for evidence concerning those cases and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was wounded by an ICE officer. All three shootings took place in January during a federal immigration operation in Minnesota that involved more than 3,000 officers and agents, according to NBC News.

Minnesota officials said in July that federal authorities had begun providing evidence, including body-camera video and hard drives containing statements. Moriarty now accuses the federal government of withholding evidence and obstructing the investigations. Federal lawyers argued in a court filing last week that they can decline to share information with state authorities when no formal legal proceedings are underway, NBC News reported. The administration has also questioned whether state prosecutors have jurisdiction to investigate federal officers.

Video footage contradicted the administration’s initial account of Pretti as a threat to agents, The Guardian reported. It said the footage showed him holding a cellphone, not attacking agents or brandishing a weapon, before he was shot in the back while lying in the street. According to The Guardian, Pretti had a licensed handgun in a holster that agents removed before firing.

“The federal government went on TV and lied about Alex,” Susan Pretti said. “They tried to slander his memory to cover up their crime.”