Saturday morning, Jan. 24, officers gunned down 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, a Veteran Affairs ICU nurse in Minneapolis. This is yet another civilian killing by ICE federal agents, revealing an uptick in violence as a result of more immigration-related activity.
On the morning of the shooting, there were ongoing protests in reaction to the surges of federal immigration agents being sent to Minnesota by the Trump Administration, violence at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE), and, recently, the killing of another civilian, Renee Good. Protesters with whistles emerged onto Nicollet Avenue at the scene of ICE Agents chasing down an assumed “illegal immigrant.” Pretti is seen attempting to help up a woman who had been pushed down and was then pepper-sprayed by an ICE officer.
Pretti is then grabbed by multiple ICE officers, cell phone in hand, and wrestled to the ground. Seconds later, on video, he is seen, but almost hidden, as several officers surround and restrain Pretti. In multiple video angles, an officer is seen removing Pretti’s concealed firearm from his holster. Seconds later, ICE officers are heard saying, “he’s got a gun,” and Pretti, unarmed, is shot several times by two ICE officers. After Pretti is shot, ICE officers can be heard in the footage shouting about where the gun is, with one officer confirming they have Pretti’s gun.
After the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a statement, claiming that the officers were originally trying to disarm Pretti, but he resisted. This false claim by the DHS led to many misconceptions that Pretti was somehow threatening the officers with his weapon before being killed. This is not shown in the video at all, and Pretti was not seen wielding his weapon but rather his cellphone. Regarding the matter of Pretti having a weapon in the first place, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara wanted to make something clear: Alex Pretti was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
As of Jan. 28, the DHS agents who shot Pretti were placed on administrative leave, although it is unknown how long. Pretti’s family has not been silent regarding his murder, and made a public statement, “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends, and also the American Veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”
His family has now hired a lawyer, Steve Schleicher, who previously prosecuted Derek Chauvin, the police officer who took part in the murder of George Floyd, in the same city. They also hired attorney Anthony Cotton in Wisconsin with intentions to pursue legal action.
Minneapolis has a history of distrust for its law enforcement, due to extreme violence resulting in the unlawful deaths of many civilians, and it looks like this negative reputation continues.