FBI Interviews Key Witness in Alex Pretti Shooting
Federal investigators interviewed a main eyewitness to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, her attorneys said Wednesday, offering the clearest public indication to date that a federal investigation into the agents’ conduct remains active. Wynnie Savageford met with investigators at the Diana E. Murphy United States Courthouse in Minneapolis on Sept. 9, where she gave an account of the Jan. 24 confrontation that ended with Pretti’s death, according to MPR News.
A Long-Unclear Investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in January that it was opening a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing, but the status of that or any other possible federal inquiry had been unclear for months. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request to confirm it is investigating the agents, MPR News reported, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
Savageford’s legal team said the FBI conducted Wednesday’s interview, with members of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney’s Office also present. The attorneys negotiated for her to be questioned by the Justice Department rather than testify before a grand jury — an arrangement, attorney James Cook said, that allowed her lawyers to sit with her during questioning.
“We want to make sure that any of the people that we represent don’t have to answer questions before the government on their own,” Cook said.
What the Witness Says She Saw
According to Savageford, who first recounted the day at a March press conference, she was legally observing ICE sightings in Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood when she asked an agent to see a warrant and was pushed to the ground. She was later arrested and taken into a federal vehicle, where she says she witnessed agents shoot Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.
She said Pretti recorded her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone shortly before he was killed. After the shooting, Savageford says she was held at a federal detention facility and treated as though she were an immigration detainee — searched and chained — despite being a U.S. citizen.
“January 24th was a life-changing, traumatic day for her,” said Trisha Pohland, an attorney representing Savageford. “I’m very happy she is now able to talk about it and to share her story so that we can let everyone know what exactly these agents did that day and to hold them accountable for their actions.”
Pohland added that she believed Savageford’s testimony was detailed enough that investigators may not need to bring her before a grand jury: “We feel great after today. Wynnie was so brave,” she said.
A Broader Pattern Under Scrutiny
Savageford’s account echoes complaints that have surrounded federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Pretti’s killing followed the Jan. 7 shooting of Renée Good by an ICE agent and the Jan. 14 wounding of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis. An ICE agent, Christian Castro, was later indicted on six counts of making false statements to the FBI in connection with the Sosa-Celis shooting.
The enforcement campaign, known as Operation Metro Surge, began in December 2025 and led to more than 3,000 arrests across the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, drawing widespread criticism over warrantless arrests and the detention of U.S. citizens. Minnesota officials were initially denied access to the Pretti shooting scene by federal authorities and eventually sued the Trump administration, accusing it of withholding evidence in both Pretti’s and Good’s killings.
What Comes Next
Cook said additional witnesses may be interviewed as the investigation progresses, and that he hopes to eventually identify and question the agents involved. “I hope that this means that the officers or the agents who killed Pretti will be brought to justice,” he said. “I would like to see a full trial of these agents, going forward.”
But he tempered that optimism, noting the agents ultimately answer to higher authorities. The Justice Department has not confirmed any charges.
Attorneys for Savageford are also pursuing civil claims tied to the federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, and represent others arrested during demonstrations. Separate proceedings are scheduled for Sept. 18, when a Minneapolis court will hear arguments over evidence connected to Renée Good’s case and Castro is expected to make an initial appearance.
For now, the interview stands as the most concrete signal that federal scrutiny of the agents who shot Pretti has not gone dormant — a development Savageford’s attorneys hope will translate into accountability.