(NewsNation) — The two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti last weekend in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to NewsNation on Wednesday.
Pretti died after being shot during an encounter with federal agents in Minneapolis. A DHS incident report indicated that two agents fired shots at Pretti.
Sources told NewsNation on Wednesday that “three days of administrative leave are given to any agent following any officer-involved shooting per department policy. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin called agents being placed on leave “standard protocol”.
Administrative leave is full pay and not a disciplinary status, the source said. If an agent had his gun and badge pulled, they would be considered on restricted duty, not administrative leave, the source told NewsNation.
A DHS spokesperson said that the agents were placed on leave on Saturday. Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol commander-at-large who oversaw the Minneapolis operation until Monday, said Sunday that the agents involved in the shooting had been reassigned to administrative duties.
Homeland Security Investigations officials are conducting an internal investigation into the incident with the support of the FBI. Customs and Border Protection is also conducting its own internal probe into the shooting.
An incident report into the shooting does not say Pretti brandished a weapon during the interaction — despite claims from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” and the administration’s characterizations of Pretti as a domestic terrorist.
Witness testimony and video of the shooting showed Pretti with a cell phone in hand, trying to help a woman up before he was tackled by agents. Another officer appeared to take Pretti’s gun off his person before at least nine gunshots went off.
NewsNation’s Tom Dempsey contributed reporting to this story
