Border Patrol chief praises agents who killed Alex Pretti and offers surprising theory
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino is defending the agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
According to Bovino, the federal agents did “a good job.”
Pronounced dead at the scene
The shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37‑year‑old ICU nurse, has ignited outrage across the U.S. — coming just weeks after the killing of Renee Good by federal agents and sparking large protests in Minneapolis and cities nationwide.
Video footage shared widely on social media shows Pretti, 37, attempting to help a woman who had been pushed into the snow by an agent, only to be pepper-sprayed, tackled, and shot multiple times.
Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reports suggest Pretti was legally carrying a firearm, though accounts indicate he may have been disarmed by agents before being shot. Pretti’s family has strongly rejected the government’s account of what happened.
His father issued a heartfelt statement, pushing back against suggestions that his son was involved in violent behavior.
“He cared about people deeply,” he said. “He was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset.” “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street.”
Bovino blaims the victim
Calls for a federal investigation have grown louder as public anger mounts over ICE’s role and the rising tensions surrounding law enforcement actions.
In a CNN interview with Dana Bash, Bovino defended the agents’ conduct. He said:
“The suspect put himself in that situation. The victims are the Border Patrol agents there.”
He continued: ”I believe that the fantastic training of that our law enforcement partners has prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement. So good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that.”
When asked about video footage suggesting Pretti was shot after reportedly being disarmed, Bovino refused to give a definitive answer, saying:
”Dana, you don’t know that he was unarmed. I don’t know that he was unarmed. That is freeze frame adjudication of a crime scene via a photo. That is why we have investigators, that is why we have investigation that is going to answer these questions.”
He added: “We don’t know that agent was taking his gun away. The facts are going to come to light. That is why we investigate.”
Bash pressed him, pointing out that his statements seemed to pre-judge the incident: ”Well, with respect you say that’s why we investigate, but you’re also drawing other conclusions that sort of fly in the face of waiting for an investigation.”
Bovino’s remarks have drawn widespread criticism online, with many questioning his defense of the agents amid multiple video angles suggesting Pretti may have been disarmed before he was shot. Even President Donald Trump weighed in cautiously, telling the Wall Street Journal:
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination. I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
Trump also said he will send White House “border czar” Tom Homan to Minnesota to help oversee the situation following the shooting and ongoing protests. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
“Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”
In the same post, he also claimed that Congress and the Justice Department were “looking” at Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who has been a frequent target of his criticism amid the state’s current unrest.
