Videos verified by NBC News, CBS News, BBC News and multiple other news organizations show Alex Pretti, 37, in a confrontation with federal immigration agents on Jan. 13, 11 days before he was fatally shot.
The footage shows Pretti yelling at agents and kicking the taillight of a federal vehicle at the intersection of East 36th Street and Park Avenue in Minneapolis. Agents then tackle him to the ground before he breaks free.
Before being officially vetted, the video sparked speculation about whether it was generated by artificial intelligence, with much of the internet divided. Real or not, many point out that his previous incident still does not warrant Pretti being shot.
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A family representative confirmed Pretti is the man in the videos and that the family knew about the Jan. 13 incident after it happened.
On Jan. 24, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers shot Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation near 26th and Nicollet. A preliminary Department of Homeland Security report sent to Congress states two federal officers fired their weapons but does not confirm Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s claims that Pretti was “brandishing a gun.”
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Multiple videos analyzed by NBC News and The Washington Post show Pretti did not hold a weapon during the Jan. 24 struggle as agents surrounded him. One video shows an agent removing a gun from Pretti’s waist area just before he was shot 11 times. Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
Both officers who fired shots were placed on administrative leave immediately after the shooting, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
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Steve Schleicher, attorney for the Pretti family, said in a statement: “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. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan. 24.”
Homeland Security Investigations is reviewing the Jan. 13 videos and incident.
