Minneapolis Woman Witnesses Fatal Shooting, Lawyers Plan Class Action Suit

A Minneapolis woman who witnessed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents is sharing her traumatic experience. Civil rights attorneys are now preparing potential class-action lawsuits alleging excessive force during immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis resident who witnessed federal immigration agents fatally shoot Alex Pretti during a January confrontation joined other potential plaintiffs Thursday in speaking out about alleged excessive force during immigration enforcement activities in Minnesota.

Georgia Savageford, who goes by Wynnie, told reporters at a press conference that she watched from inside an officer’s vehicle as federal agents opened fire on Pretti.

“That day has changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”

Savageford explained she had been lawfully monitoring federal officers’ activities in Minneapolis following the January 7 shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. On January 24, she was conducting similar observation when an agent shoved her twice, causing her to fall.

“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Minnesota state officials filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday seeking access to evidence needed for independent investigations into the fatal incidents.

According to Savageford, Pretti filmed her arrest and shouted at agents to stop their actions against her.

Officers placed her in a vehicle’s back seat, where she witnessed agents fatally shoot Pretti across the street.

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.

She described how agents told her to be quiet and stop acting hysterically. They transported her to an ICE detention facility, where she spent 12 hours in a cold cell with limited access to food, water, or restroom facilities before being released without charges.

“I did not know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”

Savageford’s testimony came during a press conference where civil rights lawyer John Burris of Oakland, California, and other attorneys outlined their preparation for potential class-action litigation over alleged excessive force against protesters and observers.

Burris, who focuses on police misconduct cases, previously secured an $11 million settlement from the Oakland Police Department in 2003 and helped obtain a $3.8 million civil jury award for Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police in 1991.

He announced that his team has submitted complaints to federal agencies involved in Minnesota’s enforcement operations on behalf of 10 individuals, including Savageford, marking the initial phase of what will likely become a broader class-action case.

“We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.