A Minneapolis death: parents press the DOJ

The parents of a nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday.

Alex Pretti, 37, worked at a veterans hospital. He died on 24 January after being shot by agents during immigration operations in Minnesota. The administration described him as an armed domestic terrorist who resisted agents. Video of the incident shows him holding a cellphone, with no weapon in his hand, and he was shot in the back as he lay in the street. He had no criminal record and held a license for the handgun he had holstered before agents removed it and fired.

Michael and Susan Pretti said the Department of Justice has not given them meaningful information about the case. They said Todd Blanche, the US attorney general, and Dan Rosen, the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota, declined to answer their questions. Rosen agreed to meet them in July after months of outreach but did not provide the status of the investigation, they said. "At every turn, they have ignored us, misled us and shielded Alex's killers," Michael Pretti said. "We are a family who love this country. We trust in the institutions of this country. We believe in the rule of law - and that people should be held accountable through that law."

The timeline runs from January to October. Pretti was shot on 24 January. The administration said he was armed and had resisted agents. Video later showed him with a cellphone, and he was shot in the back while on the ground. Minnesota officials have said the federal government stopped sharing information with state investigators looking into Pretti's death and that of Renee Good, 37, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in January as she drove away from a protest. Rosen met the parents in July. The parents spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, 27 October. In a statement to Reuters, the justice department said communications with family members come at a later stage of a case, such as indictment, initial appearance, plea, trial, or sentencing, and do not typically occur during an investigation. Susan Pretti told CNN the family wants accountability. "Alex was murdered nine months ago," she said. "It's difficult to get up every day, to function, to be a parent, knowing that your child is never coming home."

The Department of Justice has not announced charges. Minnesota officials have said the federal government has stopped sharing information with state investigators.