Federal authorities on Friday announced an investigation into two immigration officers who appeared to have made false statements under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month.
It is among at least five shootings in which initial descriptions by immigration officials were later contradicted by video evidence. Among them were the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in which viewer videos quickly raised questions about how they were originally depicted.
The investigation Friday came hours after a federal judge dismissed assault charges against two Venezuelan men accused of beating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with a broom and snow shovel on Jan. 14. The officer, who is not named in court records, fired a single shot from a gun that struck one of the men, Julio Cesar Soigh.
In an unusual reversal, prosecutors asked to dismiss the cases because they said new video evidence contradicted allegations made against the men in a criminal complaint and at a hearing last month.
Here’s how the five shootings were initially described and what was learned later:
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis non-fatal hit
Date and place: January 14, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials initially said: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the immigration officer was “ambushed” by Sosa-Celis and others and fired a “defensive shot” in fear for his life. “What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted assassination of federal law enforcement,” she said.
What came out later: Investigators have not released the new evidence that led to the charges being dropped, but cracks were already evident in a Jan. 21 court hearing. The immigration officer’s testimony recounting the moments before the shooting differed significantly from that of the defendants and three eyewitnesses. Available video evidence does not support the officer’s account that he was assaulted with a broom and shovel.
Renee Good fatal shot
Date and place: January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials initially said: Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” committed against ICE officers by a woman who “tried to run over them and hit them with her vehicle.” She said the immigration officer shot “defensively” to protect himself and the people around him. Good died from gunshot wounds to the head.
What came out later: Videos shot from multiple angles challenged the administration’s narrative. Shortly before the shooting, Good is seen behind the wheel of her SUV which is parked diagonally across a street. She tells an immigration officer, “I’m not mad at you.”
Seconds later, another immigration officer grabs onto the driver’s door as Good’s wife urges her to “drive, baby, drive.” In the videos, it’s unclear if the SUV makes contact with ICE Officer Jonathan Ross, who shoots while standing in front of the vehicle and then twice more as he quickly moves to the driver’s side of the SUV as it pulls forward.
Alex Pretti fatal shooting
Date and place: January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials initially said: Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Pretti approached Border Patrol officers with a gun and “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him. An officer feared for his life and fired in self-defense, she said. Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. Senior Border Patrol official Greg Bovino claimed Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement” and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described him as “an alleged assassin.”
What emerged later: None of the half-dozen bystander videos collected by investigators showed Pretti holding the gun, which he had a permit to carry. The videos show Pretti holding his cellphone as a masked Border Patrol officer opened fire.
In a tense hearing Thursday in Washington, Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky made leaders tasked with carrying out Trump’s mass deportation agenda watch a video of the shooting as he repeatedly criticized the heavy-handed tactics used by immigration agents. Paul argued that Pretti posed no threat to agents and said it was clear from the video that he was “retreating at every turn.”
Silverio Villegas González fatal shot
Date and place: September 12, 2025, in suburban Chicago
What federal officials initially said: Homeland Security officials said federal agents were pursuing a man with a record of reckless driving who entered the country illegally. They alleged that Silverio Villegas González drove up to the officers and dragged one with his car. DHS said the officer fired because he feared for his life and was hospitalized with “serious injuries.”
What came out later: Body camera videos from local police contradicted the Trump administration’s account. Footage showed the officer who shot Villegas González walking around afterward and dismissing his own injuries as “nothing major.”
An autopsy released in November ruled Villegas González’s death a homicide. The report said he had been shot “at close range” with wounds to his neck and fingers.
Marimar Martinez non-fatal shooting
Date and place: October 14, 2025, in Chicago
What federal officials initially said: A DHS news release said Martinez and the driver of another car involved in a crash with a Border Patrol officer were “domestic terrorists.” An FBI agent said in court documents that she was following the Border Patrol vehicle and drove toward one of the officers after they got out of the vehicle. The officer was forced to open fire, the FBI agent claimed, hitting Martinez seven times. She was treated at the hospital and arrested on charges of assault.
What came out later: Videos surfaced that her lawyers said showed Agent Charles Exum driving his SUV into her truck.
In a text message presented during a Nov. 5 hearing, Exum appeared to brag about his trait. “Fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book guys,” the text read.
The case against her was dismissed.