DOJ opens civil rights investigation into Minnesota death of Alex Pretti

The Justice Department has opened a civilian rights probe successful the shooting decease of Alex Pretti, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters connected Friday.

"We’re looking astatine everything that would shed airy connected what happened that time and successful the days and weeks starring up to what happened," Blanche said during a quality league connected Friday. "That’s similar immoderate probe that the Department of Justice and the FBI bash each day. It means we’re looking astatine video, talking to witnesses, trying to recognize what happened."

DHS SAYS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOUGHT AMID PRETTI SHOOTING HAD VIOLENT DOMESTIC HISTORY

A representation stands astatine a memorial for Alex Pretti connected Jan. 25 successful Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU caregiver astatine a VA aesculapian center, died connected January 24 aft being changeable aggregate times during an altercation with U.S. Border Patrol agents successful the Eat Street territory of Minneapolis. Two Border Patrol agents who fired their weapons during the altercation person been placed connected administrative leave.  ( Stephen Maturen/Getty Images))

Blanche said that a caller video appearing to amusement Pretti spitting astatine national agents and damaging a authorities SUV days earlier the shooting wouldn't interaction the DOJ's cognition of the investigation. 

"I don't deliberation a azygous video should alteration immoderate cognition that the Department of Justice whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person astir that tragic occurrence past Saturday," Blanche said.

Pretti’s household aboriginal confirmed to The Minnesota Star Tribune that the idiosyncratic seen successful the video is Alex Pretti.

"A week earlier Alex was gunned down successful the thoroughfare – contempt posing nary menace to anyone – helium was violently assaulted by a radical of ICE agents," Steve Schleicher, lawyer for the Pretti family, told Fox News. "Nothing that happened a afloat week earlier could perchance person justified Alex’s sidesplitting astatine the hands of ICE connected Jan. 24."

A man, who appears to beryllium Alex Pretti, was caught connected camera successful Minnesota earlier helium was fatally shot. (The News Movement)

VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW ALEX PRETTI SPIT AT FEDERAL AGENTS, VIOLENTLY DAMAGE SUV DAYS BEFORE FATAL CBP SHOOTING

The DOJ's announcement is successful enactment with what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News' Sean Hannity connected Thursday. The caput said her section would travel the probe that the FBI was starring and would proceed to springiness them each indispensable information.

A DHS spokesperson echoed this to Fox News Digital connected Friday, saying, "[The] FBI is present starring the Pretti probe with HSI supporting. This is abstracted from the CBP investigation."

A screengrab from a video shows a instrumentality enforcement serviceman spraying irritants astatine Alex Pretti earlier helium was fatally changeable by national agents successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected Jan. 24, 2026. (Reuters)

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Pretti was fatally changeable connected Jan. 24 during an enactment with U.S. Border Patrol unit successful Minneapolis, Minn.

Weeks earlier Pretti was fatally shot, national agents had a deadly brushwood with Renee Nicole Good. However, Blanche suggested that determination would not beryllium a civilian rights probe into her case, saying that the DOJ Civil Rights Division "does not investigate" each shooting and that "it depends connected the circumstances." He did not spell into specifics astir wherefore Pretti's decease was being probed by the Civil Rights Division, but Good's was not.

Pretti and Good's deaths sparked tensions betwixt national migration enforcement and agitators wrong Minnesota, arsenic good arsenic immoderate authorities leaders and lawmakers. Some U.S. lawmakers person called for Noem to beryllium fired oregon impeached implicit her department's handling of the administration's migration crackdown, but President Donald Trump has defended her.

The FBI did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

This is simply a processing story. Please cheque backmost for updates.

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Fox News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.