Two federal officers involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have now been identified through government records, as public outrage intensifies and demands for transparency and accountability continue to mount across the United States.
According to documents examined by ProPublica, the officers who discharged their firearms during the confrontation were Jesus Ochoa, aged 43, and Raymundo Gutierrez, aged 35. The records indicate that both men fired their weapons in an encounter that ultimately resulted in Pretti’s death, an incident that has since sparked widespread protests and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement practices.
The shooting, which occurred last weekend, triggered violent demonstrations in parts of the city and reignited national debate over the conduct of federal agents operating in civilian neighbourhoods. Pretti, 37, was employed as an intensive care unit nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, and those who knew him described him as a committed healthcare professional and an engaged member of his community.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the administration of President Donald Trump circulated claims about the circumstances surrounding the shooting. However, several of those assertions were later challenged and contradicted by eyewitness accounts, further fuelling public distrust and calls for an independent investigation.
At the time of the shooting, both Ochoa and Gutierrez were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement initiative launched in December. The operation involved deploying heavily armed, often masked federal officers into residential areas across Minneapolis as part of an aggressive immigration sweep. Critics have argued that the presence of unidentified agents carrying out enforcement actions in local communities created fear, confusion, and a heightened risk of deadly confrontations.
Official records show that Ochoa joined the agency in 2018 after beginning his career as a border patrol officer. Gutierrez, who started working in federal immigration enforcement in 2014, is assigned to Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and serves in a specialised response unit tasked with handling high-risk missions similar to those undertaken by police tactical teams. Both officers are originally from south Texas, and their professional backgrounds are now under close examination as part of an ongoing federal review.
The lack of transparency surrounding the case has drawn sharp criticism. CBP has declined to officially confirm the identities of the officers involved and has released only limited information about the circumstances of the shooting. This secrecy has provoked a strong backlash, particularly because the incident followed another fatal shooting in Minneapolis involving immigration agents and a 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Good.
Lawmakers from both major political parties have since called for a comprehensive and transparent inquiry into Pretti’s death. Earlier this week, CBP briefed a select group of legislators, confirming that two agents had fired Glock pistols during the encounter, but stopped short of naming them publicly.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, said the officers involved were placed on administrative leave while the incident is reviewed. After several days of sustained protests, political pressure, and public criticism, the United States Department of Justice announced that its civil rights division has formally opened an investigation into the shooting, a move seen by many as a crucial step toward accountability.
