A man has passed away after he was shot multiple times by a border patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. The incident occurred just weeks after the shocking shooting of fellow Minneapolis resident Renee Good.
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According to CBS News, the man was identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the news in a statement on social media.
“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun,” the statement reads. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.”
The statement further shared, “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Department of Homeland Security also stated that Pretti had two magazines and no ID.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” the statement continued. “About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”
Department of Homeland Security then shared a photo of the gun that Pretti allegedly had in his possession when he was shot.
Multiple Videos of the Border Patrol Officer Shooting the Man Contradict Department of Homeland Security’s Statement
Following the Department of Homeland Security’s statement, multiple videos showed a different incident from the one that officials described.
In a video posted on Facebook, Pretti was seen amid a confrontation between border patrol and protesters. Pretti was seen holding his phone at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. He was recording the agents walking on the street when he and two other protesters were shoved.
Pretti was seen attempting to help a female protester who was also pepper-sprayed when a border patrol agent grabbed him. He was then thrown to the ground, where a scuffle took place.
Several border patrol agents then surrounded Pretti and held him down when multiple shots were fired. Pretti was seen in the background lying on his back.
In another video showing a different angle, a fellow border patrol agent was seen pulling a weapon from Pretti’s. The agent then walked away seconds before Pretti was shot.
Homeland Security Secretary Krisi Noem declined to reveal the exact moment the VA ICU nurse actually showed his weapon.
When asked why an individual would bring a gun to a protest, Noem shared her thoughts. “I don’t know of any peace protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.”
Meanwhile, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino claimed that Border Patrol agents are “the victims” in the situation. “I’m not blaming the Border Patrol agents,” he said while appearing on CNN’s State of the Union. “The suspect put himself in that situation.”