The shooting of Alex Pretti reminds me of another shooting that happened in my town in October of 2022.
Jose Carlos Jimenez, 22, was a person of interest for attempted armed robbery in the Village of Oregon here in Wisconsin. Now, before you get your fur up, I fully recognize that Alex Pretti had done nothing wrong or unlawful. This is not about the guilt or innocence of the shooting victims, but about the guilt or innocence of their shooters and the systems that encircle them, obscure the facts, disturb and obstruct the evidence, and control the narrative.
In the Jimenez case, the Wisconsin Attorney General's press release stated that the sheriff, "20 years in law enforcement, discharged his weapon, striking the subject. Life saving measures were rendered; however, such measures were unsuccessful, and Jimenez died at the scene."
What the press release did not say, but which I read in the case file on the Wisconsin DOJ website, was that Jimenez had been shot multiple times in the back while running away from the shooting officer.
The Wisconsin Attorney General's press release went on to explain that the DCI would lead the investigation with assistance from "the Verona Police Department, Oregon Police Department, Sun Prairie Police Department, Madison Police Department, Middleton Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, DCI Crime Response Specialist, and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab."
While so much participation might suggest expertise and authority in abundance, the effect of this multi-department confluence was that the body of Jose Carlos Jimenez continued to lay face down--literally, on the lawn in someone's back yard--with the shirt mostly off and the pants mostly down for several hours while one department after another after another came traipsing through the scene of the crime.
The DOJ case file, heavily redacted though it was, reported different departments recorded lists of evidence in which certain items seen in the first hour were found missing hours later...Such that when I read in the attorney general's press release "A firearm was located a the scene of the shooting," I had to wonder whose firearm it was and precisely who located it there and when.
Many months after the shooting, the county sheriff detective was cleared of any wrongdoing.
As I mentioned, the official case file on the DOJ website was heavily redacted, with many words blacked out as if by permanent marker.
I reviewed other case files involving officer-related fatalities (on the same DOJ website) and noticed a pattern: The more suspicious the circumstances of the death, the fewer details were provided and, as in the Jimenez case, the more likely it was that the investigation involved a large cast of assisting departments, which, as in the Jimenez case, meant more people traipsing through the crime scene--making it very difficult to point a finger at any one official or department for disturbing or planting evidence.
My notes from suspicious shootings:
- Traffic violations, chase, crashed into a tree, pursued victim on foot, driver later pronounced dead...
- Deputy discharged firearm at vehicle, car crashed, driver fled, evidence supports self-inflicted gunshot wound (investigation assisted by four separate departments).
My notes from shootings that seemed justifiable:
- The victim was armed, threatened another person's life in view of the officer, the officer was equipped with a body camera. Many fewer redactions, and the autopsy provides no surprises.
- Victim aimed firearm at officers. Victim was shot and transported to hospital in stable condition. Body camera footage captured the entire incident.
I noticed a stark contrast between cases where the shooting seemed justified and was well documented, versus other cases more suspect where I would see a lot more redacted text, the absence of body camera footage, the "presence of a firearm," and the engagement of multiple departments in the investigation.
So, with the shooting of Alex Pretti (two shooters, 10 shots) we see that same defensive game plan on steroids: cordon off not just the crime site, but the whole surrounding area for blocks; get as many official persons on the immediate crime sight as possible to give the appearance of professional activity while ensuring that no criminal evidence goes undisturbed and any tampering of evidence can't be traced back to any individual or department.
Note that a firearm was located at the scene of the shooting.
Kristi Noem tells the press that Alex Pretti posed a massive threat to ICE and deserved to be shot (10 times by two different officers).
About Jose Carlos Jimenez, the local TV news reported he "allegedly committed several weapons violations in the area in the days leading up to his death." Isn't that the same as saying that the weapons violations he committed led to his death? In other words, it was his fault that he died. Never mind that he was shot in the back multiple times while running away from the officer. Never mind that even if he had committed several weapons violations, he was entitled to due process--which does not include being shot in the back multiple times by the arresting officer.
I am horrified by all these things. I am 100% behind Minnesota. And I am also remembering a very young Latino man who was gunned down right here in Wisconsin, when the response of law enforcement was not so different from what happened in Minnesota: Circle the wagons. Trample the crime sight. Control the narrative. Redact, redact, redact.
