A tragic incident occurred in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, resulting in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti by Border Patrol agents. This event comes less than three weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the same city. Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration hospital, was killed around 9 a.m. local time in south Minneapolis.
Conflicting Accounts of the Shooting
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Pretti “approached” U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun while they were conducting “targeted” immigration enforcement operations. Noem claimed that officers attempted to disarm him, but he “reacted violently,” and an agent fired defensive shots. However, bystander videos reviewed and verified by CBS News show Pretti holding a phone in his right hand and nothing in his left before the shooting.
Multiple videos depict a federal agent in a gray jacket reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and emerging with a gun in his right hand, then turning away from the man when the first shot is fired. The agent is then seen running across the street as numerous shots are fired. Local officials stated that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and his only previous interaction with law enforcement was for traffic violations.
Who Was Alex Pretti?
Born in Illinois, Pretti was a U.S. citizen and worked as an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital. His family described him as a “kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse.” Pretti had participated in protests following Good’s killing on January 7, and a neighbor described him as someone who “would always be willing to help others.”
Local Leaders React with Anger and Frustration
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for an end to the federal operation in Minnesota, stating, “I just saw a video of more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death. How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reviewed several videos of the shooting and called the Trump administration’s account of events “nonsense” and “lies.”
Federal Probe Underway, But Unclear if State Agencies Will Be Involved
A federal investigation is ongoing, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stating that “federal officers are tasked with the difficult jobs of removing criminal illegal aliens from American communities.” However, Governor Walz posted on social media that he “told the White House the state must lead the investigation. Let state investigators secure justice.” The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said DHS representatives blocked them from accessing the scene of the shooting, despite obtaining a judge’s signed search warrant.
Protesters Demonstrate at Scene of Shooting
A group of protesters descended on the scene following the shooting, with DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin referring to protesters as “rioters.” Local law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly, and video footage showed standoffs between protesters and federal officers. Despite earlier chaos, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that demonstrations throughout the city were currently peaceful and that his officers “intend to keep it that way.”
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