A witness to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent said in newly filed court documents that he did not see the man brandishing a gun and that federal agents did not provide first aid after the shooting, according to an affidavit reviewed by USA TODAY.
The statement was filed in federal court just hours after the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen and Veterans Affairs ICU nurse who was shot during an encounter with immigration agents conducting operations in the city.
The witness says no weapon was seen
“I saw him yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind,” the witness wrote in a statement submitted under threat of perjury.
According to the filing, the witness — whose name has been redacted — is a doctor who lives near the scene of the shooting. A witness said he awoke early Saturday to the sound of “screaming from outside” and observed Pretti confronting immigration agents.
“Suddenly an ICE agent tackled him to the ground,” the witness wrote. “My view of the altercation was partially obscured, but after a few seconds I saw at least four ICE agents point guns at the man. I then saw the agents shoot the man at least six or seven times.”
Allegation of failure to render medical aid
After the shooting, a witness said he tried to assist Pretti and was concerned by what he described as a lack of emergency medical care by federal agents.
“I was confused as to why the victim was on his side as this is not standard practice,” wrote the witness, who was identified in the filing as a pediatrician. “Checking for a pulse and performing CPR is standard practice.”
“Instead of doing one of those things,” the witness added, “the ICE agents apparently counted his bullets.”
DHS has called the incident “domestic terrorism”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters on January 24 that Pretti “came in with guns and ammunition to stop an enforcement operation by federal law enforcement officers” and described the incident as an act of “domestic terrorism.”
Noem said the semi-automatic handgun and two magazines Pretti was carrying showed he intended to “do maximum damage and kill the police.”
