Nearly two weeks after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, President Trump accused the late VA ICU nurse of being an “agitator” and “insurrectionist.”
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While weighing in on a video of Pretti confronting federal agents days before his death, President Trump stated in an Truth Social post, “Agitator and, perhaps, insurrectioist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and splitting in the face of a very calm and under contrl ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact that the taillight broke off in pieces.”
He then stated that the video displayed “abuse and anger” for all to see. “The ICE Officer was calm and cool,” Trump continued. “Not an easy thing to be under those circumstances!”
The world leader further added, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
The video in question was reportedly recorded on Jan. 13, nearly two weeks before border agents shot Pretti during a scuffle in Minneapolis.
Although many questioned if the video was AI because the man appeared to be wearing the same clothes Pretti wore on the day of his death, the ICU nurse’s parents confirmed that it was him.
“A week before Alex was gunned down in the street – despite posing no threat to anyone – he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,” Steve Schleicher, the attorney representing Alex Pretti’s family, shared in a statement. “Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan. 24.”
The Department of Justice Has Opened a Federal Civil Rights Investigation into the Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti
Late last week, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
“We’re looking at everythingthat would shed light on that day,” Blanche said, per The Guardian.
Right before the shooting, one of the border agents pepper-sprayed Pretti and two women. As he was attempting to help one of the women, Pretti was grabbed from behind. He was then thrown to the ground by the border agent.
Several border agents joined the scuffle. Pretti was shot just seconds after one of the agents grabbed his gun from its holster and took off running.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously stated that Pretti had threatened border agents with his gun. However, several videos of the incident showed the ICU nurse just holding his phone while recording an agent encounter. The videos seemed to contradict Noem’s claims.
Two of the agents involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave.