ProPublica identified Border Patrol agent Jesus "Jesse" Ochoa and CBP officer Raymundo Gutierrez as the two agents involved in the Jan. 24 shooting that killed Alex Pretti. Bystander video reviewed by multiple outlets shows Pretti holding only a cellphone and never drawing his permitted firearm; an agent reportedly located the gun in its holster while Pretti was restrained before another agent fired. ProPublica criticized federal secrecy around officer identities and said the case warrants greater public scrutiny while the DOJ investigates.
ProPublica Names Two Federal Agents Involved In Alex Pretti Shooting, Calls For Greater Transparency
Alex Pretti memorial
ProPublica reporter J. David McSwane has identified the two federal immigration agents involved in the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti as Border Patrol agent Jesus "Jesse" Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, based on government personnel records reviewed for the investigation.
What the Reporting Found
Video captured by multiple bystanders and examined frame-by-frame by several news organizations contradicts public statements from some officials that Pretti was brandishing a weapon or posed an imminent threat. The footage shows Pretti holding a cellphone; he had a permit to carry a firearm but never drew it on camera. According to the reporting, while Pretti was restrained by multiple agents an officer located the handgun in its holster, and shortly afterward another agent fired shots, including at Pretti’s back.
Who the Agents Are
Personnel records show Jesus "Jesse" Ochoa, 43, joined CBP in 2018 and is a longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley. McSwane reported that Ochoa had long aspired to Border Patrol service and, according to his ex-wife, had developed an interest in firearms. Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, joined in 2014 and is assigned to a CBP "special response team," which conducts higher-risk operations similar to police SWAT units. Both agents were deployed to an Operation Metro Surge detail in the Minneapolis area.
Secrecy, Scrutiny And Official Responses
CBP initially withheld the agents’ names and has disclosed few operational details. ProPublica’s editors said they published the names because the case "deserves more sunlight and public scrutiny," noting their concern that masking and identity shielding limit basic public accountability after a deadly, public use of force. The Department of Justice has said it is investigating the incident; ProPublica reported that the agents’ names were withheld from Congress and state and local law enforcement, and Minnesota officials have complained that federal secrecy has impeded their investigation.
ProPublica editors: "We believe there are few investigations that deserve more sunlight and public scrutiny than this one, in which two masked agents fired 10 shots at Pretti as he lay on the ground after being pepper-sprayed."
The shooting occurred days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, events that together triggered nationwide demonstrations and renewed calls for criminal investigations. In the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death, several prominent conservative officials, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, publicly characterized Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" — claims that subsequent video evidence and independent reporting have challenged.
Why This Matters
The case raises questions about federal transparency, intergovernmental cooperation in use-of-force investigations, and the role of masked or otherwise anonymized federal officers deployed to local demonstrations. ProPublica’s disclosure of the agents’ identities is presented as an effort to restore a layer of public oversight that the outlet says has been curtailed in this incident.
Read ProPublica’s full report for detailed sourcing, personnel records, and frame-by-frame analysis cited in this summary.
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