A newly released, high-definition video is raising fresh questions about the killing of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers.
The video appears to show that Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen, was disarmed and restrained moments before he was shot repeatedly on a city street.
The footage has been stabilized and slowed to capture the final seconds before gunfire erupted. It has been reviewed by the Daily Mail and local journalists in Minneapolis frame by frame.
The footage also offers another angle of the shooting. The findings appear to contradict claims by the Department of Homeland Security that Pretti ‘brandished’ a weapon or posed an immediate threat to officers.
It has intensified scrutiny of DHS claims that officers fired ‘defensive shots’ after Pretti ‘approached’ them with a handgun and violently resisted.
Instead, the footage appears to show federal agents already restraining Pretti on the ground when his firearm is removed – moments before another agent shoots him.
Adding to the scrutiny, a doctor who witnessed the aftermath from his nearby apartment said in an affidavit that federal agents delayed performing lifesaving aid.
The unidentified pediatrician claims the agents appeared to be ‘counting his bullet wounds’ instead of administering CPR as Pretti lay critically wounded.
Among those who have closely examined the footage is Lou Raguse, an investigative journalist with KARE 11 News in Minneapolis, who said one angle is particularly significant.
Video shows Alex Pretti, 37, already pepper sprayed and on his knees when the clip begins
Multiple federal agents are seen surrounding Pretti as he is restrained on the pavement
Pretti, 37, was an intensive care unit nurse and had worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a nurse
‘I’ve reviewed every available video of the Border Patrol shooting … and there is one angle in particular that I think is important to see,’ Raguse said.
‘You can see the agent in gray pull Pretti’s gun out from the back of his pants right in front of this Border Patrol agent who draws his weapon.’
‘That agent then fires up to 10 times again after Alex Pretti is disarmed,’ Raguse said. ‘I froze the video right before the second shot, which appeared to be right into Alex’s back.’
Raguse said the footage directly undermines claims made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has repeatedly asserted that Pretti ‘brandished’ a weapon.
‘This video directly contradicts Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s claim that Pretti brandished the weapon or approached officers with the weapon,’ Raguse said. ‘No video even shows Pretti reach for it.’
Raguse also noted how his station confirmed Pretti was legally permitted to carry a firearm in Minnesota.
The newly released clip begins after Pretti has already been pepper-sprayed and forced to his knees.
Multiple DHS agents are seen surrounding him, struggling to restrain his arms and legs as he is pushed face-down onto the pavement.
One agent wearing a gray jacket and pink baseball cap reaches into the back of Pretti’s waistband in an apparent attempt to reach his firearm
The law enforcement officer retrieves what appears to be a gun from Pretti before running across the road – at which point it may have accidentally gone off
Following the sound of gunfire, a DHS agent can be seen firing into Pretti’s back
The agents can then be seen retreating into the road where at least another nine shots are fired
A doctor who witnessed the shooting from his apartment said agents delayed giving aid and appeared to be ‘counting his bullet wounds’ instead of checking for a pulse or performing CPR
This 9 mm semi-automatic handgun was retrieved from the waistband of Alex Pretti
As four agents remain engaged in the struggle, one officer, wearing a gray jacket and a pink rimmed baseball cap, appears to reach into the back waistband of Pretti’s pants and pull out a handgun.
The officer then moves away from the group, holding the weapon.
It is just as that officer is running back across the street it’s believed Pretti’s own gun may have accidentally misfired while in the officer’s hands.
In the heat at the moment, the remaining DHS agents that surrounded the ICU nurse may have believed the gunfire to have come from Pretti himself.
Within an instant, another agent draws his firearm and fires directly into Pretti’s back, who then collapses onto the street.
Agents are then seen backing away into the road as additional shots ring out.
In total, roughly ten shots appear to be fired, even as Pretti lies motionless.
Federal officials have not explained why lethal force was used after Pretti appeared restrained and disarmed.
Among those who have closely examined the footage is Lou Raguse, an investigative journalist with KARE 11 Newsin Minneapolis, who said one specific angle is particularly significant
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, could be seen the street filming with his phone while a small group confronted a federal agent. His other hand appeared to be empty
Pretti is seen holding his phone while he speaks or film as he engages with federal agents
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agents’ actions, repeatedly insisting at a press conference that Pretti had ‘brandished’ a weapon
Questions surrounding the shooting have been further sharpened by an affidavit from a 29-year-old physician whose apartment overlooks the scene and who rushed outside after hearing gunfire.
In legal filings, the doctor said agents initially prevented him from reaching Pretti, despite his repeated pleas to help.
‘At first, the ICE agents wouldn’t let me through,’ the doctor wrote. ‘They repeatedly asked me for my physician’s license, which I obviously didn’t have.’
The doctor said none of the agents near Pretti appeared to be performing CPR or checking for a pulse.
‘I could tell that the victim was in critical condition,’ he wrote. ‘I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him.’
Eventually, the doctor said, one agent agreed, but only after patting him down ‘to make sure I didn’t have a weapon.’
When he reached Pretti, the doctor said he was confused by what he saw.
‘As I approached, I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents,’ he wrote. ‘I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot.’
‘Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice,’ he added. ‘Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.’
Pretti was shot just over a mile from where Renee Good, 37, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7 – a case that had already sparked weeks of protests in Minneapolis.
The family of Alex Jeffrey Prett, issued a searing statement on Saturday night accusing the Trump administration of spreading ‘sickening lies’
Pretti is pictured with his pet, Joule, a Catahoula Leopard dog, who recently died
Federal agents fire munitions toward demonstrators near the site where a Pretti was shot dead
People gather around a makeshift memorial at the site where Alex Pretti was fatally shot
The Pretti family demanded the public see the video evidence they say makes it clear that their son was holding a cellphone and not a gun when he was attacked and killed
After Saturday’s shooting, hundreds of protesters flooded the frigid streets, clashing with federal officers who deployed batons and flash bangs.
Governor Tim Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard, sending troops to the shooting site and to a nearby federal building where protests have occurred daily.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said information about what led up to the shooting was limited.
In other bystander videos Pretti can be seen holding a cellphone but not visibly armed.
Pretti’s family has fiercely disputed the federal account, calling it ‘sickening lies’ and insisting the video shows their son holding a phone, not a gun, as he tried to protect a woman who had been shoved by agents.
‘The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.
‘Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs,’ his family said in a statement.
‘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.
‘Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.’
Pretti was hailed as a good and caring man by his grieving family.
Their statement said: ‘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.
‘I do not through around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.’
Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting into adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died.
He had also participated in protests following the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.
‘He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,’ said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father.
‘He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.’
Candles were lit, flowers placed while others stood in silence paying their respects at a vigil on Saturday evening.
Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed outdoor pursuits including mountain biking
People pay their respects during a candlelight vigil for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota
A demonstrator holds a sign during the candlelight vigil on Saturday evening
A couple embrace during a candlelight vigil
A sign for 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a DHS officer earlier in the day
People mourn at a makeshift memorial in the area where Pretti was shot
As night fell, hundreds of people gathered somberly and quietly by the growing memorial at the shooting scene.
Caleb Spike came from a nearby suburb to show his support and his frustration. ‘It feels like every day something crazier happens,’ he said. ‘What´s happening in our community is wrong, it´s sickening, it´s disgusting.’
A nearby doughnut shop and clothing store stayed open to offer a place for people to warm up, as well as water, coffee and snacks.
