Minneapolis, Minnesota — Newly released video footage is fueling renewed controversy over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal immigration agents, with journalists and Democratic lawmakers arguing the images contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s public account of the incident.
Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and intensive care nurse, was shot and killed during a federal immigration operation on January 24. DHS has claimed Pretti approached agents with a firearm and posed a lethal threat. However, video obtained and published by Drop Site News appears to show Pretti filming federal agents, guiding another individual toward the sidewalk, and intervening as officers forcefully detain someone nearby.
In the footage, agents are seen pepper-spraying Pretti and wrestling him to the ground alongside several other officers. After a brief struggle, multiple gunshots are heard and Pretti collapses. At no point in the visible footage does Pretti appear to raise or aim a firearm, though DHS maintains a gun was recovered at the scene.
Journalist Susan Glasser said the video shows Pretti’s final actions involved trying to help a woman being assaulted by agents. Rep. Rashida Tlaib described the killing as “cowardly,” while Rep. Jimmy Gomez questioned why Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino abruptly ended a press conference after being asked to clarify when Pretti allegedly threatened officers.
Bovino has continued to assert Pretti intended to carry out a mass attack but has not publicly detailed when or how that threat occurred. The shooting has intensified protests, sharpened criticism of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, and deepened demands for independent investigations.
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