- - Border Patrol chief calls agents the 'victims' in Pretti shooting

Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY January 27, 2026 at 1:09 AM

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Greg Bovino, head of the U.S. Border Patrol, characterized his agents last weekend as the "victims" in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, and applauded the agents who responded for "taking him down."

Bovino's comments came nearly 24 hours after Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. In the Sunday, Jan. 25 interview with CNN, Bovino did not provide evidence to support allegations that Alex Pretti intended to hurt or kill authorities in Minneapolis.

"With respect, it feels as though in some ways, you're blaming the victim here," "State of the Union" host Dana Bash said nearly halfway through the interview.

"The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I'm not blaming the Border Patrol agents," Bovino said in response. "The victims are the Border Patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation."

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1 / 10Protests, anger in Minneapolis after 2nd person fatally shotProtesters gather in downtown Minneapolis demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave Minnesota following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents during a federal immigration enforcement operation, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 25, 2026. On January 24, federal agents shot dead US citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway, less than three weeks after an immigration officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car. His killing sparked new protests and impassioned demands by local leaders for the Trump administration to end its operation in the city.

Bovino repeatedly referred to Pretti as a "suspect" in the interview and did not respond to a question from Bash about why he was using the phrase, typically used to describe a person law enforcement is investigating for a crime. When asked to explain why the 37-year-old nurse was shot multiple times, the Border Patrol chief also did not elaborate about the previous statement he'd made on Jan. 24 that Pretti intended to inflict "maximum damage and massacre law enforcement" agents.

More: Trump to send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota after Alex Pretti killing

In bystander footage of the shooting, Pretti, whom authorities confirmed had a permit to carry a gun, is seen holding a phone. He cannot be seen wielding his firearm in the videos. When pressed by Bash over the course of the 20-minute interview, Bovino offered no new details or evidence supporting a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that Pretti was brandishing a weapon, but appeared to double down on the allegations that Pretti put the agents in danger.

Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino looks on during a stop at a gas station, as immigration enforcement continues after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good on January 7, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 21, 2026.

Bovino applauded the agents' conduct and said they prevented Pretti from harming law enforcement.

"I believe that the fantastic training that our law enforcement partners have, the fact that they're highly trained, prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement," Bovino said. "So good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that."

Bovino told CNN that the facts would "come to light" after an investigation, and sidestepped questions from Bash asking to explain why video footage of Pretti's shooting appeared to contradict his and DHS officials' portrayals.

At one point, Bash pressed Bovino after he stated Pretti intended to "assault" federal law enforcement, pointing to video footage.

People pay their respects during a candlelight vigil for Alex Pretti after he was shot and killed earlier in the day on Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.

"Where do you see in the video that he was assaulting law enforcement?" Bash asked. "Because from everything we have seen, law enforcement was assaulting him when he was there trying to help another individual."

More: Minneapolis shooting video analysis details killing of Alex Pretti

"Dana, law enforcement doesn't assault anyone," Bovino said. "Follow directions of law enforcement in an active crime scene − it’s very evident he didn't want to do that. It’s very evident that the other individuals didn't want to do that, and it's too bad the consequences had to be paid because he injected himself into that crime scene."

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greg Bovino calls agents victims in Pretti shooting

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