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Alex Pretti’s Parents Retain Former Chauvin Prosecutor Steve Schleicher Pro Bono

Updated (4 articles)
  • A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    Image: King5 (Seattle, WA)
    A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Credit: (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)) Source Full size
  • None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size
  • A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where 37-year-old Pretti was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
    Image: Newsweek
    A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where 37-year-old Pretti was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Source Full size
  • A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    Image: WBNS (Columbus, OH)
    A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Credit: (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)) Source Full size
  • A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where 37-year-old Pretti was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
    Image: Newsweek
    A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where 37-year-old Pretti was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Source Full size
  • None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size
  • A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    Image: WBNS (Columbus, OH)
    A drawing of Alex Pretti is displayed at the scene where Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Credit: (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)) Source Full size

Family Secures High‑Profile Prosecutor After Shooting The parents of Alex Pretti hired Steve Schleicher, a partner at Minneapolis firm Maslon, to represent them on a pro‑bono basis. Schleicher served as special prosecutor for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in the 2021 Derek Chauvin trial that secured the officer’s murder conviction. He spent 13 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota handling murder, organized‑crime, racketeering and civil‑rights cases, and served as a reserve officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps [1][2][3][4].

Alex Pretti Shot While Filming Border‑Patrol Operation The 37‑year‑old intensive‑care nurse was shot multiple times on Jan 24 while recording a Customs and Border Protection immigration‑enforcement action at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Video shows one officer removing Pretti’s legally permitted handgun before two other officers opened fire. Pretti’s death prompted the two CBP agents to be placed on administrative leave, with their identities withheld [1][2][3][4].

Sister Engages Separate Counsel to Protect Individual Interests Micayla Pretti, Alex’s younger sister, retained Milwaukee attorney Anthony Cotton of Kuchler & Cotton to handle her own legal matters, distinct from her parents’ representation. The family’s strategy aims to safeguard each member’s interests amid parallel investigations and potential civil‑rights litigation [1][2][3][4].

Incident Follows Recent ICE Shooting Litigation The Pretti case arrives days after the Jan 7 killing of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by an ICE officer, whose family hired Chicago firm Romanucci & Blandin—also the firm that represented George Floyd’s family. Both incidents have intensified scrutiny of law‑enforcement shootings in Minneapolis and underscore a growing pattern of high‑profile civil‑rights lawsuits [2][3][4].

Sources

Timeline

2021 – Steve Schleicher serves as special prosecutor for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in the Derek Chauvin trial, helping secure the former officer’s murder conviction for the killing of George Floyd, an experience that later underpins his civil‑rights litigation work [1][3][4].

Jan 7, 2026 – ICE officer shoots and kills Minneapolis resident Renee Good during an immigration enforcement action, prompting her family to retain Chicago firm Romanucci & Blandin, the same firm that represented George Floyd’s family, highlighting a pattern of high‑profile civil‑rights lawsuits in the city [2][3][4].

Jan 24, 2026 – Alex Pretti, a 37‑year‑old intensive‑care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, is shot multiple times while filming a Border Patrol immigration‑enforcement operation; video shows one officer remove his legally permitted handgun before two others open fire, and Pretti later dies from his injuries [1][2][3][4].

Jan 28, 2026 – Michael and Susan Pretti retain former federal prosecutor Steve Schleicher pro bono to represent them in the aftermath of their son’s killing, citing his 13‑year U.S. Attorney background and military JAG experience as critical for navigating civil‑rights claims; the same day, their daughter Micayla Pretti hires Milwaukee attorney Anthony Cotton of Kuchler & Cotton to protect her separate interests, and a family spokesperson says the lawyers are retained “to protect the family’s interest in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy” [1][2][3][4].

Jan 29, 2026 – The Department of Homeland Security places the two Border Patrol agents who shot Pretti on administrative leave, describing the action as “standard protocol” while refusing to disclose their identities, underscoring ongoing investigative procedures [1].