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Federal Agents Who Shot Alex Pretti Identified: Report
Published
Feb 01, 2026 at 04:54 PM EST
updated
Feb 01, 2026 at 07:23 PM EST
By Adeola Adeosun and Peter Aitken
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
Two federal immigration agents who fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month have been identified as 43-year-old Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and 35-year-old Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez, according to government records viewed by ProPublica.
Newsweek reached out to the DHS and CBP via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
The January 24 shooting left Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, dead and ignited massive protests across the country.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Tuesday that two agents fired Glock pistols during the altercation but did not disclose their identities. Both agents have been placed on administrative leave, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced Friday it is investigating the shooting.
The identification breaks through a week of federal secrecy surrounding the deadly encounter, although the CBP has refused to publicly release the agents' names despite bipartisan calls for transparency.
Both men were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation launched in December that sent armed and masked agents across Minneapolis.
Ochoa joined CBP in 2018, while Gutierrez joined in 2014 and works for the CBP's Office of Field Operations, according to ProPublica. Records show both men hail from South Texas.
The shooting occurred when Pretti was documenting federal agents' movements in a popular Minneapolis food and arts district. Widely shared videos show a masked agent knocking a woman to the ground, Pretti coming to her aid, and officers deploying pepper spray before pulling him to the ground.
During the struggle, agents fired approximately 10 shots. While Pretti was legally armed with a handgun and Minnesota being an open carry state, some video analyses appear to show a federal agent removing the gun from his hip before shots were fired.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operations, which have been marked by scenes of violence and agents operating with masked identities.
People gather around a memorial site for Alex Pretti on January 31 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters last week about the Alex Pretti investigation: "You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on X last week: "Every single day, the men and women of DHS law enforcement are in American cities arresting rapists, murderers, thugs, and pedophiles—despite violent agitators attacking them for doing their jobs. Tom Homan’s deployment to Minnesota is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis."
Senator John Curtis, a Utah Republican, wrote on X last week, in part: "We must have a transparent, independent investigation into the Minnesota shooting, and those responsible—no matter their title—must be held accountable. Officials who rush to judgment before all the facts are known undermine public trust and the law-enforcement mission."
He added: "I disagree with Secretary Noem’s premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence. I will be working with a bipartisan group of senators to demand real oversight and transparency, including supporting calls from [Rand Paul] for leaders of these operations to testify, so trust can be restored and justice served."
Update 2/1/26, 6:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 2/1/26, 7:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
https://www.newsweek.com/federal-agents-who-shot-alex-pretti-identified-report-11450524
