Protests are continuing in Minnesota after federal immigration agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis Saturday. He was an intensive care unit nurse in the Minneapolis Veterans Health Care System who was filming officers on his phone during a protest against President Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city. His killing comes just weeks after ICE agents fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis, and after Friday’s demonstrations, where over 50,000 people took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis protesting against ICE as thousands of residents held a general economic strike.
Federal agents claimed that Pretti was a violent “gunman” who threatened to “massacre” law enforcement, but video evidence and witness statements directly contradict their account. Video footage shows Pretti being wrestled to the ground by several law enforcement officers before being shot 10 times in less than five seconds. The videos show Pretti coming to the defense of a woman who was shoved to the ground by a federal officer. The officer then sprays Pretti with a chemical agent, before tackling him to the street. Six agents surround Pretti on the ground, and at least one appears to fire at him at close range. They then step away from Pretti’s body, and one officer appears to fire six shots at Pretti’s motionless body. Pretti had no criminal record and had a legal permit to carry a firearm, which he never took out.
Pretti’s parents released a statement after his killing, saying, “We are heartbroken but also very angry. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed.”
The Department of Homeland Security has blocked local investigators from probing the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Protests erupted in Minnesota in the wake of Pretti’s killing.
Protester: “What we’ve seen is that the community has been talking to each other as real people, and these people have come in and been hurting us. They’ve been attacking us when we’ve been doing nothing but following the law, peacefully observing, and then they decide to gang up and kill one of us.”
NBC News is reporting that President Trump is considering invoking the Insurrection Act to quell protests against ICE in Minneapolis. Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz has blamed “untrained” federal officers for the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Here’s Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday.
Mayor Jacob Frey: “How many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end? How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values? How many times must local and national leaders must plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation?”
Meanwhile, the NRA issued a statement condemning the Trump administration’s claims that justified Pretti’s killing because he was carrying a weapon, saying, “This sentiment … is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
The NBA postponed Saturday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors after federal agents shot and killed Pretti. The Timberwolves’ head coach Chris Finch denounced ICE’s killing of Pretti ahead of the game.
Chris Finch: “For the second time in less than three weeks, we’ve lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way. As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch. And we just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti.”
The NBA Players Association also released a statement saying, “Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of the fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent. Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
Topics:
Minnesota
Police Brutality
Department of Homeland Security
Immigration
Immigrant Rights