On Saturday, Jan. 24, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen who lived in Minneapolis and worked as a nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital.
Videos of the shooting show Pretti filming, confronting and appearing to yell at ICE agents in the middle of a street while they were conducting an operation. An agent can then be seen pushing Pretti toward the sidewalk.
Later, an agent pushes down a female protester and uses pepper spray on both her and Pretti as Pretti attempted to intervene. As agents place the female protester face down on the ground and handcuff her, a group of agents force Pretti to the ground as well. Pretti can be seen resisting.
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Witness video appears to show agents disarming Pretti of his legally registered side arm—according to reports Pretti had a concealed carry permit in Minnesota—as multiple agents wrestled him to the ground. Shouts of “Stop f–cking moving” can be heard as Pretti is seen resisting. Seconds later, a gunshot can be heard, followed by multiple gunshots fired in Pretti’s direction.
Pretti was pronounced dead on the scene.
On X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showed the public a photo of a gun allegedly taken from Pretti and said, “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
DHS’ statement, which has been heavily disputed, read:
At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.
Pretti’s father Michael told the Associated Press that his son “cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset.” He added, “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”
“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Pretti’s father said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”
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Pretti participated in the anti-ICE protests that followed the Renee Good shooting on Jan. 7.
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