Authorities in Minnesota are facing mounting scrutiny after bystander video footage appeared to contradict the federal government’s initial account of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an encounter with immigration officers in Minneapolis.
Pretti, 37, an intensive-care nurse, was shot and killed Saturday morning on Nicollet Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis during an operation involving federal immigration agents. Federal officials said Pretti was armed and violently resisted efforts to disarm him, prompting agents to fire in self-defense. However, multiple videos recorded by bystanders and later analyzed by the Wall Street Journal show a rapidly escalating confrontation that raises questions about that account.
Video footage indicates Pretti was standing in the street filming masked federal agents as they moved through the neighborhood, where residents have increasingly organized to monitor the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers. Community tensions have been elevated in recent months, particularly following earlier fatal encounters involving law enforcement.
The recordings show Pretti approaching the agents while continuing to film as other civilians gathered nearby. As the civilians began to move away, one agent followed and shoved a person who appeared to be with Pretti. Pretti then stepped between the officer and the fallen individual. Agents subsequently deployed a chemical irritant, affecting multiple people in the immediate area.
The situation intensified as several officers surrounded Pretti and forced him to the ground. Footage shows at least one agent drawing a firearm and pointing it at him. Another video, verified by journalists, shows Pretti pinned down while agents appeared to locate a firearm on his person.
A frame-by-frame review of the footage shows an officer pulling a handgun away from Pretti. Less than a second later, another agent fired multiple rounds. Forensic audio analysis suggests at least 10 shots were fired within roughly five seconds from a single semiautomatic weapon. Pretti was struck and collapsed at the scene.
Emergency responders were dispatched shortly after 9 a.m. to a reported immigration-related shooting. Fire department personnel attempted lifesaving measures, including CPR, but Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. Later that morning, medics were also called to assist another individual experiencing breathing difficulties, an incident linked to the chemical agents used during the confrontation.
In the aftermath, officers were heard calling out questions about the location of a firearm as they attempted to provide aid. Hours later, federal officials described the incident as an armed confrontation that posed an imminent threat to law enforcement, while acknowledging the shooting remains under investigation.
Source: WSJ