The Hennepin County Coroner’s report listed Preti’s murder. Find out what the report says.
Justice Department announces civil rights investigation into Preti murder
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Alex Preti by Border Patrol agents.
The killing of a 37-year-old intensive care nurse in Minneapolis, which has sparked protests across the United States, has been ruled a homicide, according to a coroner’s report released on February 2nd.
Alex Preti was shot and killed by Homeland Security agents sent to Minnesota as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration enforcement in the state. His murder shook the country. The White House is rethinking its approach to fulfilling President Trump’s promise of mass deportations. Opponents across the country took to the streets, claiming Preti’s murder was a sign of presidential overreach.
The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled Preti’s death on January 24th a “homicide” due to “multiple gunshot wounds.” Preeti sustained fatal injuries after being “shot by a law enforcement officer,” the report said.
A coroner’s verdict of “homicide” indicates that someone’s death was caused by someone else. It doesn’t necessarily mean murder. Typically, a verdict of murder begins a death investigation aimed at determining whether the killing was justified.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche of the Department of Justice announced on January 30 that the agency had opened a civil rights investigation into Preti’s murder. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told USA TODAY the incident is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Customs and Border Protection is conducting its own investigation.
Homeland Security officials have not identified the operatives involved in the incident, but the agency said two operatives fired their weapons during the fatal encounter with Preti, according to a report obtained by USA TODAY. The agent was placed on leave. Investigative news organization ProPublica identified the two men as Border Patrol agent Jesús Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection agent Raymundo Gutierrez.
USA TODAY has reached out to Preeti’s family for comment.
The Trump administration is moving to change tactics in Minnesota in response to intense backlash over Preti’s killing, especially after officials’ initial characterization of the shooting was contradicted by bystander video.
On February 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that agency personnel would begin wearing body cameras. Trump replaced the state’s top field official with border czar Tom Homan. And Congress is currently debating extending DHS funding by two weeks to allow time for negotiations on measures such as body-worn cameras.
What else does the report say?
Preti was shot to death south of downtown Minneapolis, less than three miles from where she lived, according to a coroner’s report.
He was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Hennepin County Medical Center, the report said. He would have turned 38 on March 1st.
Preeti was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 147 pounds, according to the report. Public documents do not say whether he had any scars or other discernible marks.
USA TODAY is not publishing the name of the funeral home, citing the privacy of the family.
Rene Goode’s murder ruled a homicide
Preti’s killing by immigration agents came just weeks after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer Jonathan Ross.
The Hennepin County coroner’s report listed Good’s cause of death as a homicide due to “multiple gunshot wounds.” The report notes that “the deceased was shot and killed by law enforcement officers.”
The report notes that Ms. Good’s marital status is widowed.
Preti and Good lived about a mile and a half from each other in adjacent neighborhoods south of downtown Minneapolis.
