Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in the street in Minneapolis, which comes just weeks after mom-of-three Renee Good was killed in her car in the same city.
Following the incident, the Department of Homeland Security said that federal immigration agents fired shots in a move of self-defence, claiming Pretti had a handgun at the time. This contrasts with both witness accounts and video footage, which show him holding a cell phone, not a gun.
Multiple videos of the incident have been circulating online, with The Guardian claiming that after reviewing one piece of footage, Pretti – who was legally licensed to have a gun – was never seen holding a firearm in his hand.
37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot and killed on January 24 (GoFundMe)
37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot and killed on January 24 (GoFundMe)
In a separate video, Pretti is believed to have stepped in to defend a woman who was allegedly pushed to the ground by an officer. It is at this point that he is repeatedly sprayed with a chemical agent and tackled to the ground.
More witness videos show agents surrounding Pretti as one officer allegedly reaches down before stepping back with what is believed to be a gun. Seconds later, shots are fired.
