Newly surfaced videos have revealed that Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis last weekend, was involved in a physical confrontation with federal immigration agents 11 days earlier during a protest against immigration enforcement operations in the city.<\/p>\n
The Jan. 13 incident was captured in two separate recordings that show Pretti shouting at federal officers, kicking out the taillight of a government vehicle and being taken to the ground by masked and helmeted agents. After briefly struggling, Pretti either broke free or was released and ran from the scene.<\/p>\n
When he turns away from the camera in one clip, what appears to be a handgun is visible tucked into his waistband. The footage does not show Pretti reaching for the weapon, and it remains unclear whether the agents at the scene noticed it.<\/p>\n
A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the individual in the videos is Pretti and said he had previously told family members about the confrontation.<\/p>\n
The emergence of the footage has reignited national debate over Pretti\u2019s death. Donald Trump Jr., the president\u2019s eldest son, reposted one of the videos on X with the comment, \u201cJust a peaceful legal observer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pretti\u2019s family and legal representatives insist that the earlier altercation has no bearing on the fatal shooting.<\/p>\n
\u201cA week before Alex was gunned down in the street \u2014 despite posing no threat to anyone \u2014 he was violently assaulted by a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents,\u201d said Steve Schleicher, a Minneapolis-based attorney representing Pretti\u2019s parents. \u201cNothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex\u2019s killing on Jan. 24.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homeland Security Investigations confirmed it is reviewing the new footage and the Jan. 13 encounter. It is not known whether any of the officers involved in that incident were also present during the fatal shooting.<\/p>\n
Pretti was killed Saturday while standing on a sidewalk recording immigration officers during an enforcement operation. Bystander video shows an officer pushing him, after which several agents tackled him to the ground. An officer then shouted that Pretti had a gun \u2014 a weapon his family says he was legally licensed to carry. Two officers opened fire, killing him.<\/p>\n
Multiple videos of the shooting show that Pretti never brandished the weapon and was holding his phone when he was shot in the back while on the ground.<\/p>\n
The newly released videos, first published by the Minnesota Star Tribune<\/em> and later obtained by The Associated Press, show Pretti wearing a dark baseball cap, glasses and a winter coat as he yells at federal vehicles. He appears to spit toward a dark Ford Expedition with flashing lights, calls officers \u201ctrash,\u201d and kicks the taillight twice, shattering it.<\/p>\n An officer then exits the vehicle, grabs Pretti by the shirt and pulls him to the ground. Several agents surround him while others form a barrier between the scuffle and a screaming crowd. Tear gas canisters are deployed before officers retreat.<\/p>\n After escaping, Pretti is seen checking on others nearby, asking, \u201cAre we all OK? Are we all safe?\u201d<\/p>\n Trump administration officials initially said Pretti approached officers with a gun and attacked them, a claim disputed by video evidence and witnesses.<\/p>\n Investigations by federal and state authorities into Pretti\u2019s killing are ongoing, as public scrutiny intensifies over the conduct of immigration officers during enforcement operations.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newly surfaced videos have revealed that Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis last weekend, was involved in a physical confrontation with federal immigration agents 11 days earlier during a protest against immigration enforcement operations in the city. The Jan. 13 incident was captured<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,239],"tags":[1991,1898,1992,2811,2682,2810,2006,1087],"class_list":["post-15072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-social","category-usa-canada","tag-border-patrol","tag-civil-rights","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-law-enforcement-accountability","tag-minneapolis","tag-police-shooting","tag-protests","tag-united-states"],"yoast_head":"\n