Alex Pretti’s Family Hires Attorneys Connected To George Floyd

Days after Alex Pretti’s death, his family enlisted high-profile attorneys with direct experience in the prosecution of Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case.

The 37-year-old intensive care nurse’s parents retained Steve Schleicher, a veteran litigator and former federal prosecutor. Schleicher played a key role in helping Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison secure the conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin for Floyd’s death. Now a partner at the Minneapolis law firm Maslon, Schleicher is representing Michael and Susan Pretti pro bono, a family spokesman confirmed, according to Newsweek.

Schleicher spent more than a decade at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, handling cases ranging from murder to civil rights violations. He also served as a special prosecutor during the Chauvin trial, and before entering private practice, he worked as a state prosecutor and as a reserve officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

In addition, Pretti’s younger sister, Micayla Pretti, hired attorney Anthony Cotton of the Milwaukee firm Kuchler & Cotton, according to the Associated Press. A family spokesman said the attorneys were brought in to “protect the family’s interests in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy.”

Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Pretti on Saturday during a confrontation while carrying out a targeted enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Following the incident, members of President Donald Trump’s administration suggested Pretti could be considered a domestic terrorist, though Trump himself rejected the characterization when asked.

“Well, I haven’t heard that. But certainly he shouldn’t have been carrying a gun. And look, bottom line, everybody in this room, we view that as a very unfortunate incident, okay? Everyone, unless you’re a stupid person. Very, very unfortunate incident,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, the family of Renee Nicole Good, another Minneapolis resident fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in early January, also retained high-profile legal representation. Good’s family hired the Chicago-based firm Romanucci & Blandin—the same team that represented Floyd’s family in their civil case—to investigate the circumstances of her death and pursue accountability.

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