The identities of the two Border Patrol agents involved in the Minneapolis shooting of Alex Pretti have been disclosed.
Agents Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, were identified as the officers who collectively discharged ten rounds at Pretti on January 24, according to a report by ProPublica.
Both agents were stationed in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge, an initiative aimed at intensifying efforts against illegal immigration in the area.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), however, has yet to officially confirm the identities of the agents involved in the shooting incident.
Ochoa, who is also known as Jesse, joined the CBP ranks in 2018, while Gutierrez has been serving with the Border Patrol since 2014.
Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by the agents while he was allegedly documenting deportation activities.
The Department of Justice announced on Friday that its investigating the shooting.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection for comment.
A spokesperson for CBP previously said that the two agents who opened fire were placed on leave.
The two agents who shot Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis have been identified
Pretti, 37, was shot dead by Border Patrol agents after filming deportation operations
The agents were reportedly given mental health support as standard procedure, and were placed on an automatic administrative leave for at least three days.
When the agents return, they will not be allowed out on the field and will be given desk roles, sources say.
The suspension came after a new government report undermined allegations he ‘brandished’ the weapon.
The new report alleged that when an officer shouted ‘gun’ during his arrest, there was no evidence Pretti had taken it off his hip.
Footage of the shooting that circulated social media appeared to show a border patrol agent had disarmed Pretti moments before the shooting, before he was shot several times in the back.
According to the new report, which was shared as a requirement for congressional committees to review any deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours, the shooting unfolded around 9am on Saturday when agents were confronted by protesters.
Agents said they were faced with protesters ‘yelling and blowing whistles’ at them, while also blocking the roadway at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
After making ‘several verbal requests’ for the protesters to stop, CBP claims two women confronted the agents while blowing whistles. They were ordered to get out of the roadway but refused.
They said that the women were then ‘pushed away’ and one of them ran to Pretti, with both again refusing to leave the roadways.
The officer then deployed pepper spray at both of them, while attempting to arrest Pretti.
‘CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued,’ the report claims.
‘During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times.’
The report continues: ‘Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.’
Within five seconds, one agent and one officer discharged the shots, with one using a Glock 19 and the other a Glock 47.
An agent took possession of Pretti’s gun and cleared and secured it shortly after the shooting.
CBP tried to save Pretti’s life by putting chest seals on his wounds at 9:02am, with EMS and EMTs arriving three minutes later.
Pretti was taken in an ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center at 9:14am, where he was pronounced dead at 9:32am.
The new DOJ probe pits Attorney General Pam Bondi’s lawyers against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, who has defended her agents by calling Pretti a terrorist, while DOJ investigators examine whether his civil rights were violated.
The announcement marks a total reversal from the Trump administration’s approach to the case, which officials originally indicated would be confined to a narrow DHS review focused on use-of-force by the agents.
‘There are thousands, unfortunately, of law enforcement events every year where somebody is shot,’ Blanche said.
Following scrutiny over remarks Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made about Pretti, including alleging he was an ‘assassin’, Trump appeared to rein her in following an icy White House meeting this week.
The internal scrutiny of Noem intensified after the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old ICU nurse, putting her at odds with Trump.
The President grilled Noem over her handling and initial response to the shooting during their late-night meeting, reports say. Noem’s adviser and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski was by her side at the Oval Office summit.
By the end of the night, Noem was ordered to shift her focus away from interior immigration enforcement operations and instead concentrate on securing the Southern Border.
Noem’s longtime rival, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, was ordered by Trump to take over the Minnesota crackdown.
Despite the furor, Noem is expected to keep her job – despite a new Daily Mail/ JL Partners poll finding her approval rating has sunk to just 33 per cent.
This is a developing story.
