Fresh video footage circulating on social media has brought disturbing new details to light in the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old US nurse who was shot dead by federal agents during an operation in Minneapolis.
The videos show Pretti being surrounded by several federal agents, pushed to the ground, and shot while bystanders looked on in shock. In one clip, voices can be heard screaming, “What did you do?” moments after the shooting.
One of the videos, recorded by a woman at the scene, captures at least six federal agents attempting to apprehend Pretti during an anti-immigration drive linked to policies of the Trump administration. Pretti is seen being dragged to the ground as a scuffle breaks out. During the struggle, one of the agents fires multiple rounds at him, fatally wounding him.
Protesters present at the spot reportedly blew whistles as the agents detained Pretti. After he was shot, the woman filming the incident can be heard shouting “What did you do?” in visible disbelief and anger.
Who was Alex Pretti?
Born in Illinois, Alex Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse who worked at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. He was a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement measures and had participated in protests following the death of Renee Nicole Good, a woman killed by immigration officers in the United States on January 7.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Pretti’s father, Michael Pretti, said his son had no criminal background and was deeply disturbed by what he believed were worsening conditions in Minneapolis and across the country amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns.
“He cared deeply about people, and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of others are,” his father said.
He added that Alex strongly opposed the treatment of immigrants. “He thought it was terrible—kidnapping children, grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he believed it was wrong. That’s why he took part in the protests,” Michael Pretti said.