By Alyssa Lukpat

Two federal immigration officials fired shots at Alex Pretti in a fatal encounter in Minneapolis last weekend, the Department of Homeland Security said in a preliminary report sent to Congress Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency under DHS, said its Office of Professional Responsibility reviewed body-camera footage and documentation for its report on the events leading to Pretti's death. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse, was the second U.S. citizen killed by immigration authorities in Minneapolis this month following the death of Renee Good, 37 years old.

The report said that a CBP officer was confronted by two women blowing whistles at around 9 a.m. Saturday. The officer asked the women to move out of the roadway, but the women didn't move, the report said. The officer pushed them both away and one of the women ran to a man who was later identified as Pretti, according to the report viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The officer tried to move Pretti and the woman out of the roadway and used pepper spray toward them, the report said. CBP personnel tried to take Pretti into custody, but he resisted those efforts and a struggle ensued, the report said.

During the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, "He's got a gun!" several times, the report said. Seconds later, a Border Patrol agent discharged his CBP-issued Glock at Pretti and a CBP officer also shot at Pretti, according to the report compiled by CBP. "At approximately 9:02 a.m., CBP personnel cut Pretti's clothing and provided medical aid to him by placing chest seals on his wound," the report said. Pretti was pronounced dead around 9:32 a.m.

Just after the fatal shooting Saturday, DHS said "an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun....The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted." DHS initially said one agent fired defensive shots.

Witness footage of the episode, showing at least 10 shots fired, raised questions about how many immigration officials took aim at Pretti. The CBP report doesn't say how many shots were fired or which shots killed Pretti.

His killing sparked another wave of protests in Minneapolis and ignited bipartisan scrutiny of the government's immigration-enforcement campaign there. Democrats and some Republican lawmakers have called for a full investigation into the shooting and the federal response. Lawmakers have also called for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem t o step down.

The agent that shot Pretti had a Glock 19 pistol and the officer that opened fire had a Glock 47 pistol, both issued by CBP, the agency said.

An agent took possession of Pretti's firearm after the shooting and put it in his vehicle, according to the report. CBP employees provided medical aid to Pretti before paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead about half an hour after the shooting, according to the report.

The report said a county medical examiner would conduct an autopsy. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the shooting.

Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 27, 2026 21:27 ET (02:27 GMT)

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