Nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was shot dead by the police
Updated 00.29 | Published 2026-01-24 23.51
Nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was killed by federal police while demonstrating against Trump's policies.
He was not holding a weapon when he was shot dead, according to new information.
- He was very upset about what is happening in Minneapolis and across the United States, says his father Michael Pretti.
Alex Pretti was seen filming with his mobile phone during the protests in Minneapolis when he was pepper sprayed and tackled by seven agents from the federal border police.
Moments later, he was shot dead in the street. According to a New York Times analysis of witness footage, at least ten shots were fired in five seconds as he lay down.
Gregory Bovino, the head of the US Border Patrol, said at a press conference that Alex Pretti approached officers with a semi-automatic pistol and Homeland Security – the US Department of Homeland Security – released a picture of the weapon.
– The agents tried to disarm the individual but he resisted violently. Fearing for his life, a Border Patrol agent fired shots in self-defense. This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre officers, Bovino said.
“Thank goodness we have the video”
Films from the incident contradict the Border Patrol’s claims. A New York Times review of the clips shows that he had a phone in his hand – not a weapon – when he was overpowered. The newspaper also writes that Alex Pretti was not holding a weapon when he was shot dead.
– Thank goodness we have the video. Thank God. Because according to these seven “heroic guys” had a battalion against them. It’s nonsense, all of it. It’s nonsense and lies, said Minnesota’s Democratic governor Tim Walz at a press conference.
Brian O’Hara, chief of the local police in Minneapolis, said that Alex Pretti had a firearms license. Tim Walz also pointed out that it is permissible to be armed under Minnesota law.
– He had the right to carry the weapon. It is a legal and concealed weapon. Something Republicans have told me for decades that it is not only a right but a duty, said the governor.
The videos also show one of the officers walking away from the commotion with a gun in his hand just before the 37-year-old is shot dead. It appears to be identical to the gun that Homeland Security said belonged to Alex Pretti.
Federal agents behind the cordons shortly after the fatal shooting. Photo: Abbie Parr /AP/TT
Had a previous conviction
The slain nurse was a US citizen and had a previous conviction. A few parking tickets were all he had on his record, relatives told the AP news agency.
– He cared deeply about other people and was very upset about what was happening in Minneapolis and the entire United States with ICE, says his father Michael Pretti.
According to the AP, Alex Pretti worked as an intensive care nurse at a hospital for war veterans. He was upset about Donald Trump's policies and participated in the protests that erupted in Minneapolis after an agent from the immigration agency ICE shot and killed Renee Good, 37, on January 7.
– He thought it was terrible. You know, that children are being kidnapped, that people are just being picked up off the street. He cared about these people and he knew it was wrong so he participated in the protests, says the father.
Last conversation with the father
The family says that the 37-year-old enjoyed outdoor activities, especially with his dog Joule, who died recently. He grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played American football and baseball and coached track and field. He was also in the Boy Scouts and sang in a boys' choir.
After graduating, he moved to Minnesota, got a university degree in biology and the environment and started working as a researcher. Later, he returned to school to become a nurse.
A few weeks ago, Michael Pretti had a discussion with his son about being careful during the demonstrations.
– We said: Protest, but don't do anything stupid. And he said he knows it. He knew it, says the father.
Dimitrij Drekonja, who worked with Alex Pretti at the hospital and is a professor of infectious diseases, heaps praise on his dead colleague, saying that his normal expression was a smile.
– He wanted to help people. He was a super nice and super helpful guy who looked after his patients. I am shocked, he tells The Guardian.
In a post on social media, Professor Drekonja adds:
“He was a good and kind person who lived to help and these bastards executed him. White. Hot. Rage”.
FACTS
US Police Service
US police organizations are divided so that parts of the police are controlled at the state level while other police agencies are controlled at the federal level. The federal police, in turn, fall under two main state departments – the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among the federal agencies that work with crime prevention are the following:
FBI: The police agency that investigates, among other things, organized crime, cybercrime and terrorism.
ICE: Stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is tasked with investigating cross-border crime and people suspected of being in the United States illegally.
Border Patrol: A police force that falls under the US Customs and Border Protection and is responsible for protecting the country's borders. Border Patrol officers have recently come to assist ICE increasingly in their raids, such as in Minneapolis.
DEA: The federal drug enforcement agency.
Secret Service: Responsible for, among other things, the security of the president.
USCG: The United States Coast Guard.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar