A newly released high-definition video of the horrific incident has surfaced that has raised fresh questions about how Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal immigration officers during the protest, as the footage appears to show details that differ from the initial official account.
The viral video appears to show that Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, had already been disarmed and held down by Federal immigration officers just moments before he was shot multiple times and killed on a city street. The video has been slowed and stabilized to closely examine the seconds leading up to the shooting, with journalists now reviewing it frame by frame.
Doctor’s Wild Claims
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The video provides a different perspective on the shooting, one that appears to challenge the Department of Homeland Security’s claims that Pretti waved a gun or posed an immediate threat to officers.
The footage has raised doubts about DHS statements that agents fired in self-defense after Pretti supposedly approached them with a handgun and resisted aggressively. Instead, it seems to show federal agents already holding Pretti down on the ground as his weapon is taken away, just seconds before another agent opens fire.
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Questions have been raised further after a doctor who saw the aftermath from his nearby apartment said in an affidavit that agents delayed giving lifesaving aid. The pediatrician, who was not named, said the officers appeared to be counting Pretti’s gunshot wounds instead of performing CPR as he lay critically injured.
One of the people who closely reviewed the footage is investigative journalist Lou Raguse, who said a particular camera angle stands out as especially important.
“I’ve reviewed every available video of the Border Patrol shooting … and there is one angle in particular that I think is important to see,” Raguse said.
“You can see the agent in gray pull Pretti’s gun out from the back of his pants right in front of this Border Patrol agent who draws his weapon.”
“That agent then fires up to ten times again after Alex Pretti is disarmed,” Raguse said. “I froze the video right before the second shot, which appeared to be right into Alex’s back.”
Blame Game Doesn’t Stop
Another video shows Pretti holding his phone as he tried to help a woman who had been knocked to the ground by an immigration agent, while both of them were repeatedly blasted with tear gas. A large group of federal officers dragged him away from the woman and forced him to the ground.
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Pretti remained on his hands and knees for several seconds before an agent in a gray jacket appeared to take hold of his gun, moments before the fatal shots were fired.
The situation grew increasingly tense as authorities worked to lock down the area near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis on Saturday morning, where Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Pretti had approached U.S. Border Patrol agents while carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS said.
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”
