Paul Perez says the Border Patrol union expects the agent who shot Pretti to be justified
President of the National Border Patrol Council
“But at the end of the day, we've got to make sure that he gives his statement and talks to the authorities and identifies why he took the shots. And we believe he will be justified at the end of the day, based on the totality of the circumstances.”
Source and context
Interview
About this source
ABC News video of an interview with Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Perez was answering an ABC News anchor who asked whether the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis was justified, given video that did not appear to show a threat.
After the quotation
In the same interview, Perez said an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI was underway and that law enforcement officers are trained to react to weapons.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Were Border Patrol Agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP Officer Raymundo Gutierrez justified in fatally shooting Alex Pretti?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the agents were justified in fatally shooting Alex Pretti. Asked directly whether the shooting was justified, Perez says the union believes the agent will be justified based on the totality of the circumstances, while saying the agent still has to give his account to investigators. That is an argument that the shooting was justifiable, so we used Defended or excused.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Jesus Ochoa, Raymundo Gutierrez

Were Border Patrol Agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP Officer Raymundo Gutierrez justified in fatally shooting Alex Pretti?
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