The two federal immigration agents who opened fire on Minneapolis protester Alex Preti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection agent Raymundo Gutierrez.
Records seen by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as perpetrators of last weekend’s gunfight, which left Preti dead and sparked mass protests and calls for a criminal investigation.
Both men were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement tow network launched in December that sent scores of armed and undercover officers throughout the city.
CBP, which employs both men, has so far declined to release their names and released few other facts about the deadly incident. The incident came days after another immigration officer shot and killed another Minneapolis protester, a 37-year-old mother of three named Renee Good.
Preti’s murder and the subsequent secrecy of the agents involved come as the country faces the consequences of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The raids in cities across the U.S. have been marked by scenes of violence against immigrants and U.S. citizens by officers allowed to conceal their identities behind masks, a move almost unprecedented in law enforcement. As a result, the public was unable to learn one of the primary means of holding police officers involved in such altercations accountable: their identities.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling for a transparent investigation into the killing of Preti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.
“We need a transparent and independent investigation into the Minnesota shooting, and those responsible must be held accountable, regardless of their title,” Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah wrote in Monday’s X.
The agency sent a notice to some lawmakers Tuesday confirming that two agents fired Glock pistols during an argument, killing Preti. The notice does not include the agent’s name. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, said the employees were placed on leave after the Jan. 24 shooting. And after a week of protests and calls for a review from lawmakers, the Justice Department announced Friday that its Civil Rights Division is investigating the shooting. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to answer questions, including whether DHS had shared body camera footage or other materials with law enforcement officials.
Ochoa is a Border Patrol agent who joined CBP in 2018. Gutierrez joined the company in 2014 and works in CBP’s Field Operations Directorate. He is assigned to a special response team that performs high-risk missions similar to a police SWAT unit. Records show both men are from south Texas.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Gregory Bovino, who has led massive migrant sweeps and arrests in a series of Democratic-led cities since early 2025, was removed from his overall role as Border Patrol commander and reassigned to his previous position in El Centro, California.
A DHS spokesperson declined to answer questions about the two agents and referred ProPublica to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment. ProPublica called Mr. Ochoa and Mr. Gutierrez several times, but neither responded.
Ochoa, also known as Jesse, graduated from the University of Texas at Pan American with a degree in criminal justice, according to his ex-wife, Angelica Ochoa. Ochoa, a longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley, had dreamed of working for the Border Patrol for years, and she said she was finally able to do so. By the time the couple separated in 2021, he had become a gun enthusiast with about 25 rifles, pistols and shotguns, Angelica Ochoa said.
DHS’ disclosure to Congress was based on an internal review of body camera footage of employees, which has not been released to the public. Meanwhile, state investigators have accused federal authorities of obstructing the investigation into the shooting.
FBI agents are working at the scene of the Preti shooting. Peter DiCampo/ProPublica
A spokesperson for the city of Minneapolis said: “We have no information regarding the shooter.” A spokesperson for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that his office also “has not released any names and has no new information regarding the investigation.”
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday, Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee accused the Justice Department of concealing evidence of both Mr. Preti’s and Mr. Goode’s murders.
“The Department of Justice also blocked prosecutors and investigators from cooperating with state law enforcement authorities and blocked state authorities from accessing evidence,” the letter states.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN on Sunday that immigration workers should not wear masks.
“They shouldn’t be anonymous. They should be identifiable. And they should have rules of engagement that don’t allow for fear, intimidation, harassment, or assault against American citizens or others,” he said.
The notification to Congress said the shooting occurred when police were unable to remove Pretti and a female demonstrator from the street and she resisted arrest.
CBP officers “attempted to remove the woman and Preeti from the roadway, but the woman and Preeti did not move,” the report states. “CBP officers attempted to take Preeti into custody. Preeti resisted the CBP officers’ efforts and a struggle ensued.”
One agent then yelled, “He’s got a gun!” according to the report. multiple times, and two others “fired” their Glock pistols.
In a video widely shared online, Preeti is seen holding a phone and recording the movements of federal agents and officials roaming the streets of the popular food and arts district. According to reports, Pretti was concerned about the increasingly unstable siege of the city by federal agents.
The video shows a masked agent slamming the woman to the ground. When Preeti gets between them and comes to help, the police spray pepper spray in his face. Two agents then grab Preeti and drag her to the ground as more federal agents pile in. During the struggle, the operatives fired a series of about 10 shots as onlookers screamed.
Preti was armed with a legally owned handgun at the time of the encounter, state and federal officials said. Some analysis of bystander video appears to show federal agents removing a gun from Preti’s waist before the first shots were fired. The agents’ masks and the confusion of their altercations make it difficult to tell them apart.
The videos appear to contradict claims by Bovino and other officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, that Pretti was there to attack staff.
“The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted,” Bovino said at a news conference on January 25. “Fearing for his life and the life and safety of his fellow officers, the Border Patrol agent fired defensive fire.”
In the initial aftermath, Stephen Miller, Trump’s top ally and immigration enforcement leader, called Preti a “wannabe assassin.” However, Miller changed his tune later in the week, saying in a statement that CBP officers “may not have followed” procedures related to confronting bystanders.
Additional video was released showing Mr. Preti having another altercation with federal agents 11 days before he was killed. In the video, Preeti can be seen yelling at the agents who get into the SUV and start driving away. Preeti then kicks the car’s taillight, and agents wearing protective masks jump out and slam her to the ground.
It is unclear whether the same investigator was involved in both cases.
Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project, said many local and state police forces are “much more transparent” than CBP when it comes to officers shooting people. “More and more police departments are releasing body camera footage and dashcam footage within days.”
Former CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowski told ProPublica it’s difficult to draw conclusions from the mess of bystander video. Still, he said the shooting could have been prevented. Preti’s attempts to help the woman who was knocked to the ground could have been considered obstruction of federal law enforcement, he said. However, the officer’s decision to immediately use pepper spray caused confusion, which likely contributed to Preeti’s death.
“The other agent may have said, ‘Get out of the way,’ or ‘stand back,'” Kerlikowski said. “Instead of immediately using pepper spray, you can arrest the person.” This is part of a pattern of federal officers quickly jumping to use force even when they could have de-escalated the situation, he said.
Preti’s death and the federal government’s characterization of the case sparked immediate protests, forcing thousands of people to venture out into frigid conditions in Minneapolis and other American cities. The shooting has also drawn fierce criticism from political leaders, including Walz, who has vowed that state law enforcement will conduct its own criminal investigation.
People gather at the place where Preeti was shot. Cengiz Yar/ProPublica
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