Dispute over gun at center of deadly shooting breaks out as feds claim weapon was ‘brandished’.. but they appeared to remove it from victim well before opening fire
Fierce debate has ensued over the killing of Minneapolis nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti and whether she posed a real threat to Department of Homeland Security officials.
Federal authorities, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, insist that Pretti, 37, “waved” his legally owned handgun at officers trying to detain an illegal immigrant Saturday morning.
A spokesman said the 37-year-old nurse was killed after she ‘approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol’.
However, videos recorded by many people around raise serious doubts about these claims; Because the footage shows an agent disarming Pretti a few seconds before any shots were fired.
They showed Pretti standing in the street filming the Border Patrol operation while a small group of anti-ICE protesters whistled and shouted.
He took the photo with the phone he held in his right hand; his left hand appeared empty.
Two women were filmed being forcibly pushed back by an agent wearing a brown beret.
It’s unclear what triggered this fight.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was seen filming on the street with his phone as a small group confronted a federal agent. His other hand looked empty
Pretti appears to be talking or filming while holding his phone as he contacts federal agents
Pretti is seen holding a shiny shiny object during a struggle with federal agents
Pretti put his arm around one woman as the agent pushed the other to the ground.
When another agent arrived, he moved to confront the agent, who pushed Pretti with his left hand and pepper-sprayed him with his right hand.
Pretti used his left hand to block the pepper spray and his right hand to grab the woman on the ground.
Pretti could be seen holding a shiny object aloft. It’s unclear whether it was his phone or something else, but the officer he was talking to did not shout ‘gun’ or brandish his own gun when he saw him.
A chaotic struggle ensued as approximately six more agents arrived. Pretti was face down on his knees, resisting as the agents pinned him down. The agent, wearing a brown beret, hit him in the head with a pepper spray canister.
The two women quickly walked away, one apparently unable to stand.
Then comes the pivotal moment, which raises questions about whether Noem and DHS got the facts right.
An agent wearing jeans, a light gray hat and jacket was seen removing a gun from Pretti’s waistband or holster and then walking away.
This gun was similar to the DHS firearm that was later determined to belong to Pretti.
Moments later, an agent wearing a black beret appeared to shoot Pretti in the side or back at close range.
He retreated and continued shooting.
The agent, who was wearing a brown beret, also appeared to shoot at Pretti. Approximately 10-12 shots are fired within five seconds.
A law enforcement officer takes what appears to be a gun from Alex Pretti before he is shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Several agents tackle Pretti to the ground, holding him down and pinning him down.
The Border Patrol Corps appeared to come up with its own reasoning for how events unfolded before the hours-long shooting rampage
Department of Homeland Security officials attempted to blame Pretti for his own death.
But Democrats and civil liberties advocates point out that Minnesota is an open state, meaning it is generally legal to carry a firearm without a permit, and argue that the videos raise serious questions about whether Pretti posed an immediate threat at the time force was used.
Federal authorities have not publicly stated why multiple shots were fired after Pretti was pinned to the ground or when officers first noticed he was armed.
However, federal officials steadfastly stood by their calculations.
The family of the murdered man identified him as intensive care nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti (37).
Pretti was an avid outdoor sports enthusiast who enjoyed outdoor activities, including mountain biking.
While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agents’ actions and repeatedly insisted at a news conference that Pretti was ‘brandishing’ a gun, video of the encounter continues to come under scrutiny
At a press conference, a journalist asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directly: ‘Did he wave a gun? ‘When did law enforcement take the gun and magazines from him?’
Noem responded: ‘This individual showed up to disrupt a law enforcement operation and attacked our officers. ‘They responded according to their training and took action to defend the life of the officer and the people around him.’
‘I don’t know of any peaceful protestors who showed up with guns and ammunition instead of a banner. “When someone shows up with guns and uses them to attack law enforcement, that’s a violent riot,” he added.
When pressed again by a reporter who said the video “showed her disarming before the shooting” and asked who was leading the federal investigation, Noem refused to explain the timing shown in the footage.
‘We continue to follow the same protocols we always have. This investigation is ongoing, we continue to gather facts as they emerge…we will continue to publish information as it emerges.’
Noem later expanded on her remarks, saying she didn’t want to “distract from the realities of this situation” before adding new details about the underlying operation.
‘Our law enforcement officers were there conducting a targeted operation against an individual who was in this country illegally and had been convicted of domestic assault with intent to cause bodily harm,’ he said.
‘This person went and obstructed law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a gun and dozens of ammunition on him.’
He concluded by repeating the administration’s basic claim: ‘I wish to harm the officers who come swinging like this and obstruct the work they are doing.’
