Federal agents appeared to remove a handgun from Alex Pretti’s waist seconds before shooting him on the streets of Minneapolis, according to multiple videos as controversy over the killing explodes nationwide.
A Border Patrol agent, who has not been publicly identified, fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, during protests against President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The protests stemmed in part from another deadly shooting in Minnesota, in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a 37-year-old woman, Renee Good, in her car.
Videos of Sunday’s shooting show several agents surrounding and struggling with Pretti as he kneels on the ground. One angle shows an agent reach his hand toward Pretti’s waist. The hand then briefly disappears from view, then can be seen again holding a handgun.
Just seconds later, a shot rings out, then multiple shots are heard as the agents shoot and kill Pretti. Another video captures the agents talking later and one asks, “Where’s the gun?” as Pretti’s body lies motionless in the street. The agent seen on video earlier reaching into Pretti’s waist responds, “I got the gun.”
Pretti was licensed to carry a handgun in Minnesota, though no videos of the incident show him holding the weapon or threatening officers with it.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti was shot after approaching officers with a weapon. However, the videos show him holding only his phone.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” his family said in a statement. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Democrats including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called on the Trump administration to remove federal agents from the state and allow local authorities to investigate the shooting.
“Minnesota believes in law and order. We believe in peace,” Walz posted Sunday on social media. “And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats in the Senate would not back any spending package that includes money for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. That could lead to another government shutdown when the current deal expires on Jan. 30.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city,” Schumer said. “Because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE.”
Some Republicans did express dismay at Pretti’s shooting, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posting, “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right.”
Protesters rallied in Minnesota, New York and elsewhere on Sunday with a message to stop the immigration crackdown and the killing of Americans in the streets, chanting Pretti and Good’s names.
With News Wire Services
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