The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) has directly contradicted public statements made by Gregory Bovino, raising serious questions about the federal narrative surrounding the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during a law-enforcement operation.
In a formal statement, the DOC said its records do not support claims made by U.S. Border Patrol leadership regarding the intended target of the operation or that individual’s alleged criminal history.
Federal Claims Challenged
In the hours following the shooting, Bovino held a press conference asserting that Border Patrol agents were conducting an operation targeting an individual named Jose Huerta-Chuma, whom Bovino characterized as having a “significant criminal history.”
According to the DOC, those claims prompted a review of available Minnesota custody and court records due to what the department described as “repeatedly inaccurate information” coming from federal officials regarding state incarceration and supervision status.
DOC Findings
Based on DOC records and publicly available Minnesota court data, the department reported the following:
The individual identified by federal officials has never been in Minnesota DOC custody.
DOC and court records show no felony commitments associated with the individual.
Public court records reflect only misdemeanor-level traffic offenses, all dating back more than a decade.
The individual is not currently under DOC supervision.
The DOC statement explicitly names Bovino and states that its findings contradict the description presented at the federal press conference.
Escalating Scrutiny
The contradiction adds to growing scrutiny over the circumstances of Pretti’s death and the accuracy of early official statements made by federal authorities. Civil rights advocates and legal observers have long noted that initial law-enforcement narratives following officer-involved shootings are often revised as additional records emerge.
At the time of publication, federal authorities have not publicly responded to the DOC’s findings or explained the discrepancies identified by state officials.
Ongoing Questions
The DOC’s statement does not address why Pretti was shot or whether the use of force was justified, but it significantly undercuts the asserted justification for the operation as originally described.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, and further reviews are expected as additional records and body-camera footage, if any, become available.
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