The 37-year-old was a nurse working at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.
The victim of yesterday’s (Saturday, January 25) Minneapolis Border Patrol shooting has been named as 37-year-old US citizen, Alex Pretti.
Mr Pretti, a nurse who worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, was shot yesterday, Saturday, January 25, in Minneapolis during what is believed to have been an anti-ICE protest.
Border Patrol commander, Greg Bovino, said Border Patrol agents were carrying out a ‘targeted’ immigration enforcement operation when Pretti approached them holding a weapon.
He claimed that the man was ‘violently resistant’ to the agents attempted to disarm him, and added that a Border Patrol officer then ‘fired defensive shots’.
Eyewitnesses accounts, as well and bystander videos, local officials and the victim’s family have challenged this account.
Videos from the scene which have beem verified and reviewed by The New York Times heavily contradict this statement, as Pretti can allegedly be seen holding his phone in his hand rather than a gun.
They also appear to show an agent deploying pepper spray at Mr Pretti and other protesters and while he attempts to block the spray from other protesters, several agents wrestle Mr Pretti to the ground and begin striking him on both the head and body.
As he is reportedly seen being held on the ground, an agent draws his weapon and fires multiple shots.
Mr Pretti’s parents have accused the administration of spreading ‘sickening lies’, adding a plea: “Please get the truth out about our son.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has said mr Pretti was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record other than traffic violations, despite Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem caliming Mr Pretti had attacked agents on an immigration raid and was there to ‘perpetuate violence’.
This comes just one day after over 10,000 people took to the freezing streets to protest the ICE crackdown in the US and particularly the killing of Renee Good who was also shot by ICE in Minneapolis earlier this month.
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