ICE shootings: Where do Minnesota’s criminal investigations stand?

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Alex Pretti’s family says they still don't know the names of the federal agents who shot and killed their son, and their attorney says the federal government is still getting in the way of the state's investigation.

ICE Use of Force Investigations

What we know:

Several federal agents are currently under state investigation for their use of force during Operation Metro Surge, including those involved in the deadly shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

The cases hit repeated roadblocks over the past several months.

No charges have been filed in the two fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.

Dig deeper:

Steve Schleicher is representing the Pretti family.

He has reviewed videos of the fatal encounter between Alex Pretti and federal agents and believes the case should result in murder charges.

"The family should not be in a position of having to beg government officials to do their basic job, to do the work," said Schleicher, who is a former federal prosecutor. "They're asking for accountability. They are asking for the names of the shooters to be officially confirmed. And they're asking the federal government to not block the state government from doing its work."

The Pretti family still does not know the names of the agents who shot and killed their son, and they don't know what evidence the federal government has shared with state prosecutors.

The FOX 9 Investigators confirmed that BCA investigators know the identities of the agents involved. However, because of their undercover status, their names cannot be released under Minnesota state statute.

Schleicher says the family was also deeply hurt by early public statements made by top officials in the Trump administration following the shooting, including references to domestic terrorism and suggestions that Pretti was out to "massacre law enforcement."

What they're saying:

"What they said was cruel. It was a lie. They stood up in front of the country and told lies. They have not retracted those statements, those lies," said Schleicher. "They actually found a way to make it even worse by spreading these horrible, ugly lies that were so quickly disproven and refuted."

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty wouldn’t provide a timeline for a potential charging decision in the case when asked by the FOX 9 Investigators earlier this week.

"I don't make promises on that because I don't want to lift people's expectations," said Moriarty. "We are looking through all of the evidence, and I am optimistic that we will get to a charging decision, but I'm not going to say when that might be."

Moriarty and Attorney General Keith Ellison say those investigations were initially stalled by the federal government. They filed an unprecedented lawsuit in federal court, demanding access to the evidence and case files.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was blocked from reviewing the crime scene after Pretti’s shooting on Jan. 24, 2026.

The federal government began releasing evidence this summer, several months after the shootings.

Dig deeper:

But earlier this week, the Minnesota Attorney General sued the state of Texas to force the extradition of an agent accused of shooting a man in the leg last January and then lying about.

Christian Castro is still sitting in a Texas jail and prosecutors fear he will escape to Mexico if released before his extradition.

Castro is one of two agents who have been charged over their use of force during Operation Metro Surge.

Another agent is accused of pointing a gun at a motorist.

Gregory Morgan Jr. surrendered to authorities in May.

"There's more to the story, a lot more to it," Ryan Pacyga, Morgan's defense attorney said following a May court hearing.

But it does not appear that Castro will be appearing in court any time soon based on a response from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Abbott, a Republican and a strong supporter of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations, has refused to sign the extradition order and appeared to ignore this week’s lawsuit, citing unrelated issues with fraud.

"I will not respond to them at all until they step up and do what's right," said Abbott.

Ellison has insisted that Castro be returned to Minnesota to face justice.

"Christian Castro is not above the law. And Greg Abbott isn’t either," stated Ellison.