11 days before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents, Alex Pretti was captured in an unruly confrontation with federal immigration agents during a protest in Minneapolis.
In the now-viral video, Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was seen yelling profanities at federal officers, wrestling with them and blowing out the taillight of their vehicle. He was then forcibly taken to the ground by an ICE agent.
In the video, allegedly shot on January 13, Pretti can be seen relaxing or being let go by officers before running away, only to turn his back to the camera, what appears to be a handgun in his waistband.
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But at no point do the videos show Pretti reaching for a gun, according to The Associated Press, and it’s unclear if federal agents saw it.
A person with knowledge of the incident confirmed to the AP that the man in the videos is Pretti and that he told his family about the confrontation.
The new videos from the week before the shoot came from two sources. One, published by the Minnesota Star Tribune and later obtained by the AP, was taken by Max Shapiro, a witness who filmed the interaction. The second was from the staff of The News Movement, an online media outlet.
The BBC also verified “whose facial recognition technology confirmed his identification with 97% accuracy”.
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What do the new videos show?
Viral videos show Alex Pretti yelling at federal vehicles, and at one point he also appears to spit and yell “garbage” toward the driver’s side of the car with red and blue lights flashing.
As the vehicle slowly pulls away, Pretti kicks the tail light and then delivers a second kick that breaks the red plastic and leaves the tail light hanging. The back door of the SUV then opens and an immigration officer wearing a gas mask and helmet gets out and heads towards Pretti.
The officer grabs Pretti’s chest by the shirt and drags him back to the vehicle as Pretti waves his arms. The officer pulls Pretti back to the street and drops to his knees, falling over Pretti in the scuffle.
The other masked and helmeted officers surround them and try to subdue Pretti. Others stand guard between them and the screaming crowd before officers fire tear gas canisters and withdraw.
After Pretti stumbles away, he approaches the set and asks if he’s okay.
Pretti confirms that he is before turning to the others involved in the fight and asking, “Are we all okay? Are we all safe?”
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How was Alex Pretti killed?
Alex Pretti was shot and killed last weekend on the sidewalk next to the street where he was filming immigration officials. In a video taken by bystanders, one officer shoved him and took him to the ground as half a dozen officers tried to subdue him.
One notices Pretti’s gun, which he was allowed to carry, and yells, “He’s got a gun.” The two officers then open fire and Pretti is killed.
Donald Trump administration officials quickly responded, saying Pretti approached the officers with a gun and assaulted them.
However, according to the AP report, the altercation and shooting were captured on multiple videos and showed that Pretti never brandished a weapon or attacked any officers. He was holding the phone when he was shot in the back on the ground.
Homeland Security Investigations is “reviewing” the new videos and the incident, a department spokesman said.
It is not known if any of the officers involved were also there when Pretti was killed.
