The man shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday was identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse whose family remembered him as a “kind-hearted soul” who cared deeply for the patients he served.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world,” his parents said in a statement released through the Minnesota DFL. “Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”
Pretti was shot just before 9 a.m. after a heated confrontation between federal agents and protesters who opposed the government’s immigration enforcement, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference.
The Department of Homeland Security said officers with U.S. Border Patrol were conducting an operation when they were approached by an armed Minneapolis resident. The videos do not reflect what the DHS has said, which was the agent shot Pretti in self-defense.
O’Hara said that local officials believe the man was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Family members told The Associated Press that Pretti owned a handgun and a concealed carry permit in Minnesota.
The shooting comes less than three weeks after Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan, rejected federal officials’ account, calling the “lies” told about their son “sickening and reprehensible.”
In the statement, they said it was clear their son was not holding a gun in the moments before the shooting.
“Please get the truth out about our son,” they said. “He was a good man.”
In video obtained by NBC News, Pretti is checking on a protester who had been pushed by federal officers. An altercation followed, and Pretti was dragged to the ground and surrounded by officers.
Several gunshots can be heard before the officers are seen backing away from Pretti.
In a statement, the American Nurses Association said it was “deeply disturbed” by Pretti’s death and called for a “full, unencumbered investigation.”
