WASHINGTON (AP) — Videos released this week depict Alex Pretti being forcefully restrained by federal immigration agents during a protest in Minneapolis, just 11 days before his fatal shooting by Border Patrol officers. The footage shows Pretti kicking a vehicle's tail light and engaging in a heated confrontation with the agents.
In the recordings, Pretti can be seen falling to the ground while trying to escape, revealing what appeared to be a handgun in his waistband. However, it remains unclear if the officers on the scene recognized the weapon or if Pretti ever reached for it.
The incidents captured on video have reignited discussions surrounding Pretti’s death, which has stirred contentious debates across the nation. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was described by Donald Trump Jr. as a 'peaceful legal observer' following the release of the footage.
Steve Schleicher, an attorney representing Pretti’s family, insists that the violent altercation should not have been grounds for Pretti’s subsequent shooting. “A week before Alex was gunned down in the street — despite posing no threat to anyone — he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,” he stated, emphasizing that the earlier incident cannot condone the shooting.
The confrontation leading to Pretti’s death occurred on a sidewalk where he had been filming the immigration officers. Following a struggle that involved multiple federal agents, Pretti was shot while on the ground, holding his phone. Officials from the Trump administration quickly defended the actions of the officers, but video evidence reveals Pretti did not assault any officer or brandish his weapon at the time he was shot.
As the details of the case continue to unfold, Homeland Security Investigations has commenced a review related to the incident and the new video evidence.
