ProPublica reporter: ‘It's been a tradition that we can identify our law enforcement’
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A new investigation has revealed the identities of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.
“The federal government very quickly shut down information. Wouldn't release the names to state leaders there in Minnesota,” ProPublica investigative reporter J. David McSwane said.
The two officers identified are Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. Both men are from South Texas and neither are new to their jobs.
Mcswane said Ochoa joined Customs and Border Control in 2018 and Gutierrez in 2014.
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McSwane added that confirmation was an intensive process. He had to dig through whatever public records were still available along with series of interviews to narrow down the list of subjects.
“It's extremely difficult. And you know, these officers have been trained and instructed to really scrub themselves from the internet,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security has consistently reiterated that they hide officer identities to prevent doxing and harassment. McSwane said his reporting is honoring transparency and accountability for American law enforcement.
“The America I grew up in, it’s been a tradition that we can identify our law enforcement officers. It’s actually a huge departure in law enforcement, according to experts we've talked to for many months now, to conceal the identities of officers but also allow them to wear masks,” he said.
“When things do go awry, and we see videos such as this, the first step toward asking questions, getting meaningful answers, and potentially some accountability is knowing who did it.”
— Cathy Wurzer and Lukas Levin, MPR News
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