Parents of nurse killed by ICE call on Justice Department to release evidence of fatal shooting

The parents of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis nine months ago, have criticized the federal government and demanded the release of all evidence related to their son’s death.

Michael and Susan Pretti said at a news conference Tuesday that the federal government kept them in the dark for 275 days — even after sending a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche over the summer “pleading for basic information that the law provides,” including the identities of the officers involved in the shooting.

“At every turn, they ignored us, misled us and protected Alex’s killers,” Michael Pretti said.

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

Kiersten Pels, a Justice Department spokesperson, told NBC News that communications between federal officials and victims’ families “generally do not occur” during an investigation.

“As is standard practice, communications with family members, if any, occur at a later stage of a case, such as indictment, initial appearance, plea, trial or sentencing,” Pels said in a statement. “The timeline is consistent with how these types of investigations are conducted. »

The Department of Homeland Security referred all questions to the FBI.

Tuesday’s news conference comes nearly a week after Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty said the federal government had stopped sharing information with Minnesota authorities investigating Pretti’s killing.

Moriarty’s office sued the Trump administration in March to compel federal officials to share key evidence regarding Pretti’s death and the shootings of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man wounded by an ICE officer, and Renee Good, who was fatally shot by another ICE officer.

The three shootings in Minnesota took place in January, after the Trump administration deployed more than 3,000 agents and immigration officers to the state as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” DHS’s largest immigration enforcement operation.

In July, Minnesota officials said the federal government was beginning to provide evidence in the cases, including police body camera videos and hard drives containing statements. Moriarty said at the time that she expected to receive “all the evidence.”

That changed this month, according to Moriarty. In a statement last week, she accused the federal government of withholding evidence related to the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti and “hindering our investigations for as long as they could.”

“Our lawsuit was filed to gain access to all of the evidence and our efforts to obtain it will continue. We have filed our motion for summary judgment to end the case and obtain the evidence to which we are entitled,” Moriarty said. “The federal government responded with a motion to reject; its objective is clear.”

In the motion filed last week by DOJ lawyers in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the federal government argued that it had the authority to refuse to share information with state authorities if no formal legal proceedings were pending.

The Trump administration has previously suggested that state prosecutors lack jurisdiction to investigate federal agents, while Minnesota officials have said the federal government cannot be trusted to investigate itself.

“It’s not normal. It’s not justice. It’s morally wrong,” Michael Pretti said at the press conference. He lamented that the lack of cooperation between federal and local authorities in the investigation into his son’s murder “is nothing short of baffling, disappointing and reprehensible.”

Steven L. Schleicher, an attorney for the Prettis who was also at the news conference, said his clients have the right to see any evidence regarding the shooting under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

“How is it possible that the Department of Justice is not sharing evidence,” Schleicher said. “What are they hiding? »

During her confirmation hearing in July, Blanche was asked about her commitment to sharing information about ICE-related shootings in Minnesota with state officials. He said he expected investigations into these cases to proceed as usual, adding that “the definition of full cooperation may be contested.”

Videos showing Alex Pretti’s murder haunt his family daily, his parents said. At the same time, they say, these images played a crucial role in contradicting the Trump administration’s narrative about the shooting.

“The federal government went on television and lied about Alex. They tried to slander his memory to cover up their crime,” Susan Pretti said. “Not only was it wrong, it was shameful, unfair and unacceptable. We want to clear our son’s name.”