At the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, First District Supervisor Hilda Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, held a moment of silence for the latest victim shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minn.
“I’d like to hold a moment of silence in honor of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot on Saturday, Jan. 24 by a customs enforcement officer in Minneapolis, Minn. Pretti was an ICU nurse who worked at a hospital in Minneapolis. He was described as a kind-hearted soul and someone who was always willing to help others.”
During Tuesday’s moment of silence, county staff and those in the audience for the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting at the Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles, stood in silence for a couple of minutes.
Solis added: “His murder at hands of federal agents is a gut wrenching consequence of what we are seeing every day. We are all facing tremendous pressures to protect ourselves while standing up for our friends and others. Two weeks ago I led a moment of silence for Renee Good (who was also shot and killed by an immigration officer in that city).”
The fatal shooting over the weekend has prompted calls for a thorough independent investigation into the second death at the hands of federal immigration officers since the Trump administration began its large-scale operation in the city late last year. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a woman, Renee Good, 37, who used her vehicle to block a street and was slowly pulling away.
But many of the investigation’s details, including the identities of the officers involved and precisely what evidence is being examined, remain unclear even as tensions soar in Minneapolis
“It is not just a moment of grief,” said Solis, “but a moment to reflect on how to work together to speak out against the injustices we see.”
At least six people have died during the Trump administration’s amped-up immigration enforcement campaign in the U.S.
Last September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot a person outside Chicago. Two people have died after being struck by vehicles while fleeing immigration authorities, including Roberto Carlos Montoya, who was struck by an SUV on the 210 freeway on Aug. 14 after running from the Monrovia Home Depot on Aug. 14. And a California farmworker fell from a greenhouse in Camarillo and broke his neck during an ICE raid last July.
On Saturday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on social media described Pretti as an “assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.” Vice President JD Vance shared the post on X as well.
But on Tuesday, President Donald Trump distanced himself from those statements.
Trump was asked if the killed Minneapolis protester was an “assassin” as a key aide has claimed and the president answered “no.”
The president added, however, that protesters “can’t have guns” as Pretti did and “it’s just a very unfortunate incident.” Trump has said he wants the death investigated.
The president was asked as he left the White House on Tuesday whether he thought Pretti’s killing was justified and he responded by saying that a “big investigation” was underway.
“I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it, and I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” he said.
He was also asked about Pretti’s family and said in response, he said: “I love everybody. I love all of our people. I love his family. And it’s a very sad situation.”
After more than a week of violence and unrest in Minnesota, Trump sent his border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis on Monday. Trump said that Homan was meeting with both the mayor and Minnesota governor on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report