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.”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Border Patrol union: Agent involved in shooting made ‘split-second decision’ · ABC NewsAbout 6:41 to 6:58 in the 9-minute video, in the answer to the anchor's question about whether the shooting was justified

Source and context

Interview

Border Patrol union: Agent involved in shooting made ‘split-second decision’ (opens in a new tab) · ABC NewsAbout 6:41 to 6:58 in the 9-minute video, in the answer to the anchor's question about whether the shooting was justified

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

Defended or excused

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

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“I'm not so interested in shift in tone. We just need them out of here, and we need accountability for what's happened.”
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