Two federal immigration agents — Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez — have been identified in government records as the officers who fatally shot Alex Pretti during a confrontation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Their names were confirmed after intense public scrutiny and reporting from multiple news outlets as part of national coverage of the incident. The shooting took place on January 24, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement initiative that deployed armed and masked agents throughout the city.
Pretti, a 37‑year‑old intensive‑care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, was participating in a protest when the confrontation escalated. Bystander video reviewed by major outlets showed Pretti being pepper‑sprayed and wrestled to the ground before gunfire erupted. Witnesses reported he was holding a cellphone at the time, not a weapon, shortly before shots were fired.
According to reports, Ochoa and Gutierrez discharged their service weapons during the encounter, striking Pretti multiple times. He was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The incident quickly drew widespread outrage, prompting protests in Minneapolis and around the country, with critics questioning the use of force by federal agents and the transparency of Customs and Border Protection.
Jesus Ochoa, 43, joined CBP in 2018 and previously served with the Border Patrol, while Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, entered federal service in 2014 and was assigned to CBP’s Office of Field Operations.
Gutierrez was part of a special response team trained for high‑risk operations, similar to police SWAT units. Both men are reportedly from South Texas. In response to the incident and the public outcry that followed, Ochoa and Gutierrez were placed on administrative leave and removed from active field duty.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has since opened a federal investigation into the shooting, with lawmakers from both parties calling for a complete and transparent inquiry.
The deaths of Pretti and earlier similar incidents have reinvigorated debate over federal law enforcement tactics, accountability, and the expansion of immigration enforcement operations into domestic settings beyond the U.S. border.
The controversy includes criticism over initial mischaracterizations of the events by officials and the withholding of agent identities, which many saw as obstacles to public trust and justice.
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