Four days after Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, the eyewitness who filmed the entire incident sat down with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. In just 10 minutes, she delivered a revelation that ruthlessly undercuts the government’s claims of a “full federal investigation.”
Stella Carlson, the pink-coat lady seen in footage of Alex Pretti’s murder recounted the horrific incident on CNN on Jan. 28. Surprisingly, no federal agency had contacted her till now to take her testimony into account. Not the FBI, not Homeland Security, nor the Border Patrol.
Cooper confirmed on air that he had spoken directly with the witness’s attorney earlier that morning. The attorney told him she had received no outreach whatsoever from any federal authority. This is notable because the witness is not peripheral, she is the primary civilian eyewitness. She’s also the person who recorded the shooting itself.
Carlson explained that she had already given testimony to Minnesota state investigators. She added that she trusts local officials to pursue accountability.
Eyewitness says she has no confidence in the government investigations of Alex Pretti’s murder
On the split side, Carlson’s concern lies entirely with the federal government. She told Cooper she has “absolutely no confidence” in a federal investigation. Instead, she believes that federal authorities are actively obstructing one:
I have faith in our local government in Minnesota. I think they are wanting to make sure to protect us and investigate it thoroughly. But they [federal government] are trying to block that from happening. They wouldn’t even let the investigative team come to the crime scene. I mean, their goal is to protect themselves and spin stories.
According to her account, federal agents did not merely fail to contact her, they blocked state investigators from accessing the crime scene. The move directly contradicts claims that the administration is cooperating with oversight or independent review. Cooper then pressed further, pointing out how extraordinary it was that four days had passed without federal outreach.
In response, Carlson said the silence tells her exactly what is happening. Bluntly, she stated that the federal government is “protecting themselves,” and they “don’t care about the truth of what happened.”
Contacting eyewitnesses is the first step in investigations
This absence of contact with a major eyewitness is not a minor procedural lapse. In any credible homicide investigation, the first step is identifying and interviewing direct eyewitnesses. Failing to do so does not only suggest incompetence, it suggests intentional avoidance.
Federal officials have repeatedly claimed that an investigation is underway. Yet no subpoenas, no witnesses, and no scene access have been confirmed. Instead, the federal shooter has reportedly been relocated and the identities of the agents involved remain undisclosed. Meanwhile, federal spokespeople continue to cite “ongoing investigations” without producing evidence of one.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins shared the interview clip on X, summarizing it plainly: “Wow. The woman who recorded Alex Pretti’s shooting tells Anderson Cooper she has still not been contacted by anyone in the federal government as part of its investigation.” The response underneath was even more direct: “Because there is no investigation,” one user wrote.
That conclusion is difficult to dispute. When the only people asking questions are journalists and the key witness is deliberately ignored, the term “investigation” becomes meaningless. What remains instead is narrative control. By refusing to engage with a key eyewitness, the federal government can shape public perception without risking contradiction.
If the federal government were seeking truth, this eyewitness would have been its first call. The fact that she wasn’t contacted at all tells us everything we need to know.
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