Alex Pretti’s family slams Trump administration’s ‘sickening lies’ and say nurse son was killed ‘by murdering and cowardly thugs’

The family of a Minneapolis nurse who was shot and killed by the Department of Homeland Security eviscerated the Trump administration and branded his killers “murderers and cowardly thugs” in a scathing statement.

Speaking hours after the death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, the 37-year-old’s family said: ‘The sickening lies told by management about our son are reprehensible and disgusting.

‘Alex clearly wasn’t holding a gun when he was attacked by Trump’s killer and the cowardly ICE thugs.

‘He has his phone in his right hand and his free left hand is raised above his head as he tries to protect the woman he pushed down while she was pepper-sprayed by ICE.

‘Please reveal the truth about our son. He was a good man.”

Although the family blamed ICE for the attack, it was actually carried out by officers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

On Saturday evening, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reiterated allegations that Pretti “brandished” a gun at his agents before he was shot.

However, footage of the murder appears to disprove his claims.

An agent was seen removing Pretti’s legally owned handgun from his waistband.

The Pretti family has asked the public to view video evidence that they say makes it clear their son was holding a cell phone, not a gun, when he was attacked and killed.

Previously, Pretti was seen holding a shiny object aloft while fighting with a police officer, moments after he was pepper-sprayed.

It is not clear what that object is. Before the shooting started, he was recording with his phone in one hand.

His other hand appeared free. The agent he was fighting with did not scream ‘gun’ or recoil when he saw that object.

Pretti, who worked as a critical care nurse for Veterans Affairs, was hailed as a good and caring man by his grieving family.

Their statement said: ‘Alex was a kind-hearted person who cared deeply about his family and friends, as well as the American veterans he cared for as an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.

‘Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be among us to see its impact.

‘I do not use the term heroism lightly.

‘But his last thought and action was to protect a woman.’

Pretti loved her pet Joule, a Catahoula Leopard dog who died recently.

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

The Border Patrol Corps appeared to come up with its own reasoning for how events unfolded before the hours-long shooting rampage

Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed going on adventures with his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog, Joule, who died recently.

He also attended protests following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.

‘He cared deeply about people and was very upset about what happened with ICE in Minneapolis and throughout the United States, just as millions of people are,’ said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father.

He thought it was terrible to kidnap children and take people off the streets. ‘He cared about these people and knew it was wrong, so he joined the protests.’

Pretti was a U.S. citizen born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record, and his family said he had no interactions with law enforcement other than a handful of traffic tickets.

In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Colorado, told him to be careful when protesting.

“We discussed this with him about two weeks ago, saying, you know, go ahead and protest, but don’t interfere, don’t do anything stupid,” Michael Pretti said.

‘And he said he knew it. He knew that.”

Pretti was an avid outdoor sports enthusiast who enjoyed outdoor activities, including mountain biking.

Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a nurse.

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they never saw him carry it.

The family first learned of the shooting when they were contacted by an Associated Press reporter.

They watched the video and said that the murdered man was their son. They then tried to reach officials in Minnesota to get more information.

“I can’t get information from anyone,” Michael Pretti previously said. ‘Police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol is closed, hospitals don’t answer any questions.’

Eventually, the family called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and said he confirmed that a body matching their son’s name and description had been found.

The family said that as of Saturday evening, they had not yet heard from anyone from the federal law enforcement agency regarding their son’s death.

Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin; where he played football and baseball and ran track at Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boys’ Chorus.

After graduation, he attended the University of Minnesota and graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and environment, according to the family.

She worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

Pretti is seen being pepper-sprayed by agents just before he is killed

When police officers intervened, Pretti was seen trying to help a woman lying on the ground.

Police officers are seen kneeling next to Pretti after he was shot moments earlier

People gather around a makeshift memorial at the site where Alex Pretti was fatally shot

Pretti lived in a four-unit apartment building about 2 miles from where he was shot. Neighbors described him as a quiet and friendly person.

Sue Gitar, who lives downstairs from Pretti and said she moved into the building about three years ago, said, ‘He is a wonderful person.’ ‘He has a great heart.’

If there was something suspicious in the neighborhood or if they were worried that there might be a gas leak in the building, they would rush to help.

Pretti lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but neighbors said she was not alone and sometimes friends came over.

His neighbors knew he had guns (he occasionally took his rifle and shot it at the range) but they were surprised at the idea that he could carry a gun on the streets.

“I never thought of him as someone who carried a gun,” Guitar said.

Pretti, a competitive bike racer who took extreme care of his new Audi, was also deeply devoted to his dog, who died about a year ago.

His family said the last time they spoke to their son was a few days before his death.

They talked about the repairs he had made to the garage door of his house.

The worker was a Latino man, and they said he gave the man a $100 tip because of what was going on in Minneapolis.

Pretti’s mother said her son cares deeply about the direction of the county, especially the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations. ‘He hated it when people threw away land,’ Susan Pretti said.

‘He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog with him wherever he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.’