The parents of Alexi Pretti, an intensive care nurse fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, have secured high-profile legal representation by retaining the former prosecutor instrumental in convicting Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
Legal Team Assembled After Fatal Shooting
Steve Schleicher, a partner at the Minneapolis law firm Maslon, has been engaged pro bono to represent Michael and Susan Pretti following the death of their son. Schleicher served as a special prosecutor for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during the landmark 2021 trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin.
In a separate arrangement, Pretti's younger sister, Micayla Pretti, has hired Wisconsin-based attorney Anthony Cotton to act on her behalf. A family spokesman stated the lawyers were retained to protect the family's interests in the aftermath of what he described as a horrific tragedy.
Details of the Fatal Incident and Prior Altercation
Alexi Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was shot dead on a Saturday afternoon in late January as he filmed officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation. He was legally carrying a handgun at the time.
Newly released video footage from Wednesday has revealed a prior confrontation between Pretti and federal immigration agents that occurred just 11 days before his death. The footage, captured on January 13th during a Minneapolis protest, shows Pretti shouting expletives at officers, referring to one agent as a pepper spray b**** and f***ing trash.
Escalation During January Protest
The video evidence depicts Pretti kicking out the tail light of a federal Ford Expedition SUV, with the sound of shattering plastic clearly audible. Multiple agents then converged on him, forcing him to the ground in a struggle during which his winter coat came off. Pretti managed to break free and scurry away from the scene.
Notably, the footage shows what appears to be a handgun visible in Pretti's waistband as he turns away from the camera. However, the videos do not show him reaching for the weapon, and it remains unclear whether the federal agents present observed it.
Legal Response and National Debate
Steve Schleicher has strongly contested any suggestion that the prior altercation justified the subsequent fatal shooting. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Schleicher asserted, A week before Alex was gunned down in the street - despite posing no threat to anyone - he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex's killing at the hands of ICE on January 24.
The emergence of the new videos has reignited the national debate surrounding Pretti's death. Donald Trump Jr. commented on social media platform X by posting one of the videos with the caption, Just a peaceful legal observer. The footage is currently under review by the Department of Homeland Security.
Eyewitness Accounts and Context
The videos originated from two sources: Max Shapiro, a Minneapolis attorney and witness who filmed the interaction, and a crew from the online media outlet The News Movement. Shapiro described arriving at the scene after seeing notifications about immigration enforcement activity and observing distressed onlookers.
The footage from The News Movement shows Pretti wearing glasses, a dark baseball cap, and a winter coat, yelling at federal vehicles and appearing to spit toward a Ford Expedition. After the vehicle began to pull away, Pretti delivered two kicks to its tail light, the second of which shattered the red plastic casing.
Shapiro began recording just after this moment, capturing an immigration officer in a gas mask and helmet exiting the SUV, grabbing Pretti's shirt, and pulling him back toward the vehicle. A scuffle ensued, with Pretti being forced onto his knees as other masked officers surrounded them. The officers eventually released tear gas canisters and withdrew from the scene.
Shapiro recounted approaching Pretti afterwards, hugging him and asking if he was okay. Pretti affirmed he was, before turning to others involved and asking, Are we all OK? Are we all safe? Shapiro later reflected that while some might use the videos to vilify Pretti, he seemed like someone deeply concerned about individuals affected by deportation policies.
Background of the Legal Representation
Steve Schleicher brings substantial experience to the case, having served as a state prosecutor and spending 13 years in the office of the US Attorney for the District of Minnesota before entering private practice. His background includes handling cases ranging from murder and organised crime to racketeering and federal civil rights violations. He also served as a reserve officer in the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
This case marks the second recent fatal shooting involving immigration enforcement officers in the Minneapolis area. Just weeks before Pretti's death, 37-year-old Renee Good was shot dead by an ICE officer less than a mile away. Good's family has retained the Chicago-based firm Romanucci & Blandin, which previously represented the family of George Floyd.
The circumstances of Pretti's fatal shooting on January 24th remain under investigation. Bystander footage appears to show one officer removing Pretti's legally carried handgun before two others opened fire. According to witness accounts, an officer pushed and pepper-sprayed Pretti, who was then forced to the ground by approximately half a dozen Department of Homeland Security officers. One officer spotted the weapon and shouted, He's got a gun, after which two officers fired upon Pretti as he lay on the ground.
It is currently unclear whether any of the officers present during the January 13th altercation were also involved in the fatal shooting eleven days later.
