ALEX JEFFREY PRETTI, New video footage has raised fresh questions after a Minneapolis nurse was shot and killed by federal agents during a Department of Homeland Security operation, with footage appearing to show the 37-year-old unarmed at the moment he was fired upon.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis, Minnesota resident and veterans nurse, was fatally shot Saturday morning during what DHS described as a “targeted operation” to arrest an undocumented individual. Federal officials have alleged that Pretti interfered with the operation and that agents feared for their lives. However, newly released video angles circulating on social media have prompted renewed scrutiny of those claims.
Footage shared online shows an alternate angle of the incident, beginning as protesters with whistles observe federal agents engaging on the street. In the video, approximately six federal agents are seen forcing Pretti to the ground near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis.
Prior to the confrontation turning physical, Pretti appeared to be recording the scene on his cellphone. Video suggests he stepped in after agents began spraying a female protester with chemical irritant. Moments later, agents converged on Pretti.
In the newly circulated footage, a woman filming the scene is heard shouting in distress as agents swarm Pretti. The video appears to show agents wrestling him onto the icy pavement. According to commentators reviewing the footage frame by frame, Pretti does not appear to be holding or aiming a firearm during the encounter.
The footage further appears to show an officer removing a firearm from Pretti’s person before multiple gunshots are fired. Pretti is then seen lying motionless on the ground as agents back away with weapons drawn. The woman recording the scene can be heard screaming in shock as the gunfire ends.
The Department of Homeland Security has stated that Pretti approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun and that officers attempted to disarm him. DHS claimed Pretti “violently resisted,” prompting an agent to fire after fearing for his life.
However, the new video and screenshots circulating online appear to challenge that account, with viewers noting that Pretti’s gun remains holstered until it is allegedly removed by an agent moments before the shooting. Minnesota law allows permitted individuals to carry firearms, and officials have acknowledged that Pretti legally possessed the weapon.
Tensions escalated quickly following the shooting as law enforcement attempted to secure the area. Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident sparked protests and renewed debate over the proportionality of federal law enforcement actions during immigration operations.
The shooting remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not released the name of the agent involved. The newly released video footage continues to fuel public concern and calls for an independent review of the deadly encounter.
