Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Sunday called for a thorough investigation into the latest fatal shooting involving a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent in Minneapolis, saying the American people are entitled to that “basic standard” of accountability from law enforcement.
“There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting,” Tillis wrote in a post on the social platform X.
The Republican senator also urged federal, state and local government officials to work together and avoid drawing conclusions about what transpired before a proper investigation takes place.
“For this specific incident, that requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” Tillis continued. “Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”
The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, has escalated tensions on the ground in the city, where demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have continued since the fatal shooting of Renee Good, another 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, earlier this month.
The Trump administration has defended the shooting, saying the agent fired “defensive shots” at Pretti, who had a gun that was recovered by federal authorities. Others have accused the agent of acting with excessive force, pointing to video footage that shows Pretti recording Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with his phone before the incident escalated.
But amid growing calls for an investigation into the incident, federal officials have resisted efforts from state officials to participate.
The superintendent of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which investigates police shootings, told reporters Saturday that members of his agency were blocked from the scene of the shooting. A federal judge had earlier issued an order prohibiting the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting, The Associated Press reported.
