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Did feds know Alex Pretti before fatal shooting? ICU nurse suffered broken rib days before death, friend claims
Alex Pretti suffered a broken rib in a violent confrontation with agents a week before he was killed, his friend claimed.
ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, was reportedly known to feds before the shooting. He suffered a broken rib in a violent confrontation with agents a week before he was killed, according to CNN.
Pretti told a friend that he saw ICE agents chasing a family on foot around a week before he was shot, and stopped his car, per the outlet. He said he pulled over and started to shout and blow a whistle, and was subsequently tackled by five agents, the source told the outlet.
The friend recalled that Pretti alleged he was left with a broken rib after one of the agents leaned on him. “That day, he thought he was going to die,” the source added.
The friend confirmed that Pretti had been released by agents at the scene.
Federal immigration officers had documented details about Pretti, as well as other anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, in recent weeks. A memo sent to agents dispatched to the city this month asked them to “capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors, etc., so we can capture it all in one consolidated form,” CNN reported.
It is unclear if Pretti’s information had been shared via the new intake form. It also remains unclear if Pretti recognized or was recognized by the federal agents he confronted in Minneapolis on Saturday.
The Alex Pretti shooting
A video verified by the BBC, which was filmed from inside a coffee and donut shop on Nicollet Avenue, shows agents surrounding and tacking Pretti to the ground. One seemed to hit him multiple times before gunshots were heard. Pretti was then seen falling to the ground.
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DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Border Patrol officers were carrying out a "targeted operation" on an "illegal alien wanted for violent assault" when an individual approached them with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
"The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted," McLaughlin said. "Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene."
