On Sunday, the family of Alex Pretti reacted to the shooting of the 27-year-old by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, January 24. In their statement, Peretti's parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, recalled their son's last words and called Alex Pretti a "hero."
"We are heartbroken but also very angry," the statement read. "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 this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact."
Then, recalling the 37-year-old's last words and act, the statement continued: " I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. "
What Were Alex Pretti's Last Words?
Alex Pretti's alleged last words are doing rounds on the internet along with the videos of his fatal shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Per the reports, Pretti was trying to defend a woman during a scuffle with ICE agents, and his last words were to check on her.
“Don’t touch her!” he reportedly told the ICE agent, before asking the woman, "Are you okay?"
{{/usCountry}}“Don’t touch her!” he reportedly told the ICE agent, before asking the woman, "Are you okay?"
{{/usCountry}}The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Trump administration claim that Pretti was carrying a firearm and pulled it during the scuffle with the ICE agents. However, videos recorded by bystanders contradict their accounts. They suggest that though Pretti was carrying a licensed firearm, he did not pull it at the ICE agent.
However, the video does show one of the ICE agents picking up a gun from the floor. Notably, Stephen Miller, Trump's White House advisor, has called Pretti a "domestic terrorist."
Also read: Was Alex Pretti a Republican or Democrat? All we know about his political views
Family Slams Government's Account
In their statement, the family of Alex Pretti hit out at the DHS and the federal government over the purported "sickening lies told about our son." They urged the Trump administration to "get the truth out about our son."
"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting," the statement continued. "Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.
"He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed."