Witness to Alex Pretti shooting interviewed by federal investigators, indicating ongoing probe into shooting
A woman who witnessed Border Patrol officers shooting and killing Alex Pretti in Minneapolis was interviewed by federal investigators, a possible indication that the federal government is still evaluating whether the shooting was justified in their eyes.
According to attorneys James Cook and Trisha Pohland, the FBI and a member of the U.S. Attorney's Civil Division spoke with their client Wynnie Savageford on Wednesday morning. The meeting came together after Cook said that his client was presented with the possibility of being subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury; Cook and Pohland said they asked for an interview with investigators instead, allowing them to be present with their client.
"It's taking a tremendous amount of courage for Wynnie to be here today to tell her story," Pohland said. "We wouldn't know the whole story without her and the other witnesses that were there that day."
In the months that followed Pretti's death on Jan. 24, the federal government has not provided clear answers about whether they were investigating. In an unusual move, the federal government immediately blocked state investigators from critical evidence in the wake of the shooting; it wasn't until July that the Hennepin County Attorney said that the feds gave her team access.
Cook believes that the desire to speak with Savageford indicates that the federal government is conducting an ongoing investigation.
"I would like to see a full trial of these agents going forward," Cook said.
Both the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota and the FBI declined to confirm if the meeting with a witness to federal officers shooting and killing a U.S. citizen took place. Both agencies declined to offer any comment; the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to WCCO's inquiry.
Savageford spoke publicly about her experience the day Pretti died in March. She said that she was on scene as a legal observer, describing ICE agents violently detaining her. Savageford is part of a lawsuit against ICE for alleged brutality.
"Three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face down into the middle of the street," Savageford said in March. "I was in the back of the vehicle when I witnessed ICE agents shoot and kill Alex Pretti on the other side of the street. At that moment, I thought I was going to die too."
Cell phone footage from bystanders captured Pretti confronting a federal officer who had pushed a woman into a snowbank. The officer then uses a chemical irritant on him. Multiple federal officers surround him and take him to the ground; while he's on the ground, an agent wearing grey appears to take something from his waist.
It's after that happens that the first shot is fired, followed by at least 10 more audible shots. While the Department of Homeland Security stated that Pretti had a legal firearm on him, agents can be overheard asking "Where's the gun?" immediately after the shooting.
Savageford declined to speak to the media on Wednesday, standing with people that Cook described as supporters. He said that he expects other witnesses who he represents to speak with federal investigators in the coming days.
