A United States-based investigative news outlet, ProPublica, reported on Sunday that it had identified two federal immigration agents who fired shots during an encounter last month in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that resulted in the death of protester, Alex Pretti.
Citing government records it reviewed, ProPublica said the agents were Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35.
The Jan. 24 shooting sparked several days of protests in Minneapolis and intensified scrutiny of aggressive immigration enforcement actions carried out under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Both agents were deployed as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale immigration enforcement initiative launched in December that involved sending armed, masked officers into multiple US cities.
CBP, which employs both men, has declined to formally confirm their identities and has released few details about the shooting.
Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, was shot during a confrontation that began when federal agents attempted to remove protesters from a roadway, according to a notice later sent by CBP to members of Congress.
The notice stated that Pretti resisted arrest and that an agent shouted “He’s got a gun!” before two officers fired their weapons. Videos circulated online depict chaotic scenes in which agents restrain Pretti as bystanders shout.
Authorities have confirmed that Pretti was carrying a legally owned handgun at the time of the incident. Some video analyses referenced by ProPublica indicate the weapon may have been removed before shots were fired, although this has not been officially confirmed.
On Friday, the US Justice Department said its Civil Rights Division had opened an investigation into the killing. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the agents involved were placed on administrative leave but declined to provide further comment. Minnesota state and local officials have said they have not been given access to key evidence, including body-camera footage.
The case has prompted bipartisan concern in Congress. Republican Senator John Curtis called for a “transparent, independent investigation,” while Democratic lawmakers accused federal authorities of withholding information from state investigators.
The shooting followed the death of another Minneapolis protester, Renee Good, who was killed in a separate incident involving an immigration agent on Jan. 7, further fuelling criticism of operations conducted by masked federal officers and the secrecy surrounding their identities.
ProPublica said it published the names of the agents in the public interest, arguing that accountability in cases involving fatal use of force depends on transparency.
