Border Patrol Agents on Leave After Fatal Minnesota Shooting

(Bloomberg) -- Two US Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti have been placed on administrative leave, Customs and Border Protection said, as scrutiny intensifies over the Trump administration’s immigration-enforcement operations in Minnesota.

The move is “standard protocol” after an officer-involved shooting, a CBP spokesperson said without providing additional details about the status of the investigation.

The development came as the White House escalated its warnings to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over his refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that New York and other Democratic-led cities were “heading in the wrong direction,” even as his administration has said it wants to de-escalate tensions in Minnesota.

Pretti’s Jan. 24 killing ignited widespread criticism, including from Republicans. Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless restrictions are placed on enforcement operations. 

An intensive care nurse, Pretti was the second US citizen killed by federal agents in Minneapolis during confrontations over Trump’s enforcement surge. Pretti was legally carrying a gun at the time of the encounter, but available video didn’t show him brandishing the weapon. Video appeared to show agents had disarmed him before he was shot. 

Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed on Jan. 7. 

State and local officials have called for independent investigations into both killings and for a reduction in the federal presence, warning that aggressive enforcement tactics risk further loss of life.

(Updates with details on gun in fifth paragraph.)

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