The closest eyewitness to the moment anti‑ICE protestor Alex Pretti was fatally shot in Minnesota this weekend has shared a haunting account of what unfolded, appearing to confirm rumors circulating online.
On Saturday, January 24, Pretti was shot dead by ICE officers in yet another incident that has sparked widespread shock across the U.S.
The 37‑year‑old’s death, coming less than a month after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, has further heightened tensions in Minnesota at a time when political unrest has left tens of thousands disillusioned with the federal government.
ICE agents have swept through Minneapolis in recent weeks, making arrests and attempting to round up all those deemed to be in the U.S. illegally. Their presence has been widely criticized, with many condemning what they see as heavy‑handed tactics.
Following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, this weekend brought another volatile incident that further destabilizes what little harmony remains. ICU nurse Alex Pretti was accused on Saturday of brandishing a gun at federal agents, with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claiming he “wanted to do maximum damage” and “massacre law enforcement.”
Donald Trump took to social media, describing Pretti as a gunman and sharing a photo of the firearm taken from him. But now, as with the aftermath of Good’s shooting, video footage has emerged that appears to contradict those initial claims. Reports indicate Pretti had a permit to carry a gun, and that ICE agents removed the firearm from his holster before he was fatally shot.
One video shows the nurse trying to protect two women, with only a phone visible in his hand and no gun in sight.
Pretti was forced to the ground by ICE agents, pepper‑sprayed, and then shot more than 10 times. One eyewitness who filmed the horrifying incident on her phone has provided a sworn affidavit as evidence in an ongoing ACLU lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
“I decided to check it out on my way to work. I’ve been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbours,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous. “It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground.
“Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. I don’t know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.”
“Then he started pepper‑spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over,” she added. “The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him.
“The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn’t see him touch any of them — he wasn’t even turned toward them.”
Footage also appears to show a federal agent taking Pretti’s gun from him before he was shot, suggesting he was unarmed and posed no threat at the time of his death.
The eyewitness continued: “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.
“I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbours and my state.”
Pretti’s family has also condemned what they believe are lies being spread about their son. After he was portrayed as an agitator who attacked ICE officers, they released a statement saying: “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.
“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
