Immigrant pursued by federal agents before Alex Pretti's killing speaks out

3 days ago 8

Jose Huerta Chuma is simply a antheral successful hiding — and he's besides a antheral successful distress. He's been replaying the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nonmigratory Alex Pretti implicit and implicit again successful his mind, wondering if helium could person done thing otherwise and if there's thing that "would person saved that life."

The 41-year-old migrant from Ecuador, who said helium has been successful the U.S. for implicit 2 decades, described witnessing the shooting aft hiding wrong a section business. The Department of Homeland Security has described Huerta Chuma arsenic a transgression surviving successful the U.S. illegally who was the people of the Border Patrol cognition that led to the brushwood with Pretti connected Saturday, Jan. 24.

"I think, possibly if I hadn't gone to that place, oregon I don't know, a small aboriginal oregon a small earlier, I mean, that ne'er would person happened," Huerta Chuma told CBS News during a telephone interrogation conducted successful Spanish.

Asked if helium feels immoderate consciousness of guilt, helium said, portion crying, his dependable fraught with emotion: "I bash consciousness guilty, I bash consciousness bad. I saw stories astir the antheral and I saw a precise bully person."

DHS officials person described Huerta Chuma arsenic a "violent transgression amerciable alien" connected the loose. Documents reviewed by CBS News bespeak Huerta Chuma's grounds includes postulation violations, and that helium pleaded blameworthy to a disorderly behaviour misdemeanor discourtesy successful 2018. The New York Times reported, citing Minnesota tribunal documents, that the plea was linked to a home unit arrest, and that the discourtesy was aboriginal expunged.

Huerta Chuma said the home unit lawsuit stemmed from an statement with his spouse astatine the time. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said successful a statement that Huerta Chuma has ne'er been successful the state's situation strategy and that it did not find felony convictions successful his case.

CBS News reached retired to representatives for DHS seeking remark astir Huerta Chuma's grounds and whether officials are inactive pursuing him.

A shooting witnessed from a hiding spot

In his archetypal nationalist comments, Huerta Chuma told CBS News helium immigrated from Ecuador successful the aboriginal 2000s, successful his twenties. Before Pretti's shooting upended his life, helium was raising his American-born children portion moving arsenic a rideshare driver.

"I'm not a criminal. I conscionable was moving that day," helium said. "I was going to prime up the delivery."

Huerta Chuma said helium was connected his mode to prime up a transportation bid astir 8:18 a.m. connected Jan. 24 successful southbound Minneapolis. (He showed CBS News screenshots of the way from that greeting indicating helium was successful the country wherever the shooting happened.) It was a regular delivery, akin to the astir 20,000 rides helium had done implicit astir six years.

As helium was driving down Nicollet Avenue, Huerta Chuma said helium passed a car driving successful the other direction.

"One cause was staring astatine me, but I conscionable blinked my eyes and said, 'God, they're immigration,'" Huerta Chuma recalled.

"So, erstwhile I looked successful the mirror, they turned astir immediately."

Huerta Chuma said the agents, who were successful a reddish car without licence plates, started to travel him.

"I didn't tally oregon anything, I near precise calm," helium said. "I saw they were with ICE. I knew successful my caput they were ICE due to the fact that they turned astir truthful rapidly erstwhile they [saw] my face."

Huerta Chuma said helium parked his car, got out, and near the conveyance running. He said national agents started to travel him, and a antheral astatine a section concern fto him inside, locking the doorway down him. Huerta Chuma said helium hid determination for astir 4 hours.

Huerta Chuma said helium saw Pretti amusement up and commencement filming, and helium saw a Border Patrol cause propulsion a pistillate nearby. He said helium saw the agents tackle Pretti to the crushed and instrumentality his gun.

"It each happened truthful fast," helium said, noting helium did not spot Pretti trying to wounded the agents oregon scope for his firearm.

Then helium described the rapid-fire shots: "Tac, tac, tac, tac, tac, tac."

Huerta Chuma said helium watched the ambulance arrive, but knew it was excessively late. He said helium saw national agents constitute down his licence plate. Then helium left.

"It felt horrible. To beryllium watching and not being capable to bash anything," Huerta Chuma said. "I don't cognize however agelong I volition beryllium similar this."

Initial nationalist statements astatine likelihood with evidence, authoritative report

Immediately aft the shooting Huerta Chuma witnessed, DHS officials made sweeping statements astir Pretti and his actions, immoderate of which person since been directly contradicted by videos, witnesser accounts and a preliminary authorities report.

DHS initially said 1 Border Patrol fired "defensive shots" aft Pretti "approached" agents with his firearm. The section suggested, without citing factual evidence, that Pretti intended to "massacre" national agents.

A study to Congress obtained by CBS News earlier this week recovered that two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weapons during the Jan. 24 shooting. The report, based connected a "preliminary review" by CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility, besides did not notation Pretti reaching for his firearm.

Video analyzed by CBS News shows an cause had removed the weapon from Pretti's waistband 1 2nd earlier different cause fired the archetypal shot.

Border Patrol authoritative Gregory Bovino, who has since been reassigned pursuing the bipartisan backlash triggered by Pretti's killing, described Huerta Chuma arsenic an "illegal alien" during a property league hours aft the deadly shooting. Pointing to a booking photo, Bovino said Huerta Chuma's grounds included "domestic assault," "disorderly conduct" and "driving without a license."

In a connection 2 days later, DHS branded Huerta Chuma a "violent transgression amerciable alien" who remained "at large," asking the nationalist to telephone a authorities hotline with immoderate tips regarding his whereabouts.

Huerta Chuma said the authorities was displaying an older representation from aft helium was arrested successful 2018 during an altercation with his wife.

Out of enactment and connected the run

Huerta Chuma did not uncover his whereabouts to CBS News. He said helium was disquieted astir his safety, his enactment and what would hap to his 3 children calved successful the U.S. Huerta Chuma said helium has 2 children, ages 11 and 15, who unrecorded with him, and different child, a 3-year-old, who lives with the mother. CBS News attempted to scope the children's parent but did not person a response.

Information accessed done the Justice Department's migration tribunal strategy says Huerta Chuma's deportation lawsuit was administratively closed successful May 2022. The migration tribunal records bash not database a deportation order. Huerta Chuma said helium has since applied for a "U visa," designed to support immigrants who are victims of crimes and who person assisted instrumentality enforcement investigations.

It's unclear precisely erstwhile and however Huerta Chuma archetypal entered the U.S. Huerta Chuma said helium has different kid surviving successful Ecuador. Court records bespeak that Huerta Chuma does not person a transgression grounds successful his autochthonal country.

Huerta Chuma said helium started moving arsenic a rideshare operator truthful helium could person a flexible docket and beryllium disposable for his children. But since the shooting, helium said, helium hasn't worked, and is seldom eating oregon sleeping. He said helium is continuing to hide.

Though he's frightened astir getting arrested, Huerta Chuma said the main root of his consternation is Pretti's death.

"I'm precise devastated, spiritually. Why did they termination the man? He didn't bash anything," helium said. "I was there. I was there. I saw everything."

José Diaz contributed to this report.

In: