headline: Minnesota probes federal officers over two killings, wounding and highway assault slug: 2026-04-16-minnesota-probes-federal…

  • Hennepin County on Thursday charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with pointing a gun at a motorist and passenger on a Min…
  • Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration last month to compel access to evidence in three shootings during the operation, two of…
  • Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by federal officers on Jan. 24. The Trump administration said shots …
  • Multiple videos of the shooting contradict those claims, the Associated Press reported, showing Pretti had only his mobile phone in his h…

Hennepin County on Thursday charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with pointing a gun at a motorist and passenger on a Minneapolis highway — what a local prosecutor described as the first criminal case brought against a federal officer involved in the Twin Cities immigration enforcement operation. The charge against ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is one of several active investigations into federal officers’ conduct during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign in Minnesota, which has included two deaths, at least one other shooting and dozens of additional incidents under prosecutorial review.

Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration last month to compel access to evidence in three shootings during the operation, two of which resulted in deaths. The federal government has argued that state prosecutors lack jurisdiction to investigate or charge federal officers.

Alex Pretti

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by federal officers on Jan. 24. The Trump administration said shots were fired “defensively” against Pretti, whom federal authorities said had a semiautomatic handgun and was “violently” resisting officers.

Multiple videos of the shooting contradict those claims, the Associated Press reported, showing Pretti had only his mobile phone in his hand as officers tackled him to the ground. One of the officers removed a handgun from the back of Pretti’s pants moments before another officer shot him in the back, the AP reported.

The Justice Department said the FBI is conducting a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing. Customs and Border Protection is conducting its own internal investigation.

Renee Good

Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was killed Jan. 7 when an ICE officer fired at least two shots into her SUV on a residential street. Good was blocking the street with her vehicle and honking her horn when immigration officers approached. She began to pull forward, and an ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle opened fire.

The Department of Homeland Security said footage shows Good “impeded law enforcement operations and weaponized her vehicle,” leading the officer to act in self-defense.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department’s Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there must be circumstances and facts that “warrant an investigation.”

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis

Sosa-Celis was wounded Jan. 14 when a federal officer shot him in the right thigh. Federal officials initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel, but federal prosecutors later dropped all charges against both men.

Authorities have since opened a criminal investigation into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about the shooting. DHS said both officers are on administrative leave while ICE and the Justice Department conduct a joint review.

ChongLy “Scott” Thao

Ramsey County, which includes St. Paul, is investigating the Jan. 18 arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a Hmong American man, as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment. ICE officers bashed open the front door of Thao’s St. Paul home with guns drawn and led him outside in only his underwear and a blanket in freezing conditions. The arrest was captured on widely shared video.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Monday they are pursuing information from DHS but have not been able to determine whether ICE officers had a warrant for Thao’s arrest.

DHS called the county’s investigation a “political stunt” and said in a statement that ICE does not kidnap people.

Wider investigation

In early March, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was investigating at least 17 cases and considering whether to bring misconduct charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino. Bovino is accused of throwing a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. A separate Jan. 7 incident involved federal officers making an arrest outside a Minneapolis high school and deploying chemical irritants with students and staff nearby.