Utah News Dispatch
Utah leaders ask for Minnesota shooting investigation — and de-escalation
Pictures of Alex Pretti sit in front of his home on Jan. 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA medical center, died Jan. 25, after being shot multiple times during a brief altercation with Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
After federal immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis called for a transparent, independent investigation into the shooting and for accountability for those responsible “no matter their title.”
“Officials who rush to judgment before all the facts are known undermine public trust and the law-enforcement mission,” Curtis wrote on X. “I disagree with Secretary Noem’s premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence. I will be working with a bipartisan group of senators to demand real oversight and transparency.”
At the same time, Utah Republican state leaders say there needs to be a de-escalation from both political sides. However, they made no comments on how the Trump administration has characterized the killing.
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“In everything I’ve ever been involved in that’s been very controversial, and this surely is, it takes two sides, and I think you’ve got to figure it out, and it’d be really nice if we find a way to de-escalate it,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said on Monday. “And I think there’s rhetoric on both sides. And I really feel like, right now, whatever we say, we’re going to spin it up, and I don’t want to spin it up. I want to spin it down. I just think we know better how to treat each other and what’s happening there is not right.”
For Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, there’s blame to be placed “on the far right and the far left.” The lack of action from Congress has led to the current situation, he told reporters on Monday.
“I think if Congress would get its crap together and act and come up with a reasonable solution to fix our broken immigration system, a lot of these things would go away,” Schultz said. “And it’s not that hard.”
As protests against the tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement emerge nationwide, including in Salt Lake City, elected officials are also thinking about plans to mitigate violence in Utah demonstrations, with Schultz saying the state promotes peaceful protest but will not tolerate violence.
Adams, who described Pretti’s killing as “just horrible,” said Utah has been able to “manage things well.”
“Does anybody like the loss of a life? I mean, that’s just crazy. It’s not a positive thing,” Adams said. “And yet, you know, law enforcement has a really tough job.”
But, when asked how the Trump administration is handling the Minneapolis situation and about whether they believe the administration’s description of the shooting was accurate, Adams asked other members of the Senate leadership for thoughts, but only got one answer from Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton.
“I would really like to discuss Utah issues,” Stevenson said.
Schultz said he hasn’t seen the video of the shooting, so he wouldn’t get into the specifics of the case.
Graphic video captured by witnesses shows six federal agents appearing to wrestle Pretti to the ground and 10 shots can be heard. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Congress hurtles toward partial shutdown after Alex Pretti killing in Minneapolis
The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday morning “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” However, video shows an agent approaching Pretti as he was being held on the ground and then walking away with what appeared to be a gun in his hand before shots were fired.
Like Curtis, Schultz said he would also be in favor of an investigation on the shooting.
“Again, we’re all sitting here, and I don’t think any of us can agree on what exactly happened. And so I think having a better understanding of what happened, I think, is important,” he said.
But, he added, it is the responsibility of the federal government to handle immigration issues.
“I’m going to come back to collaboration. This wouldn’t happen in Utah and it shouldn’t happen in Minnesota,” he said. “They need to find a way to come together for the benefit of the citizens of this state of Minnesota, and that’s the state, and the locals, and the federal government.”
Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said there are a lot of concerns and fear among families in Utah.
“We’re prepping, understanding that there’s no control as a state in terms of what the federal government does for that, and that we can exercise all of our tools in our toolbox to make sure that we protect our residents and our citizens in the state of Utah,” Escamilla said.
Additionally, Escamilla said to expect Utah House and Senate members to ask the state’s congressional delegation to push for more oversight of Department of Homeland Security actions.
Amid the turmoil, U.S. Senate Democrats are insisting on a renegotiation of Homeland Security spending to include more constraints on federal immigration enforcement. If an agreement is not reached by Friday, there may be a partial government shutdown.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee said he would oppose any effort to defund the Department of Homeland Security and has called multiple times to send in the national guard to Minneapolis on his X account.
“We’re not defunding ICE. Live with it.” he wrote Sunday.
