ICU Nurse, Alex Pretti, killed by Border Patrol Agents in Minneapolis

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Saturday, January 24

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, early Saturday, amid an ongoing surge in immigration enforcement across the city. The shooting was captured on camera by several witnesses.

Those videos show Pretti holding a cellphone—not a gun—when he was shot. In multiple angles, an agent appears to emerge from a scuffle with a gun, turn away from Pretti, and then fire. Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and had no criminal record.

The Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent acted in self-defense, but Pretti's parents said that is a lie.

"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting," they said in a statement. "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."

Turns out, it wasn't just one shooter. According to a government report sent to Congress on Tuesday, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weapons. The report does not mention Pretti reaching for his firearm.

'Everyone must be equal under the law.'

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring DHS from altering or destroying evidence related to the killing, since DHS initially blocked state investigators from accessing the scene, even though they had a signed search warrant.

Meanwhile, community leaders and civil rights advocates have called for state and local investigations into the killing of Pretti and the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent on January 7. They also made the following demands of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz:

• The officers who killed Alex Pretti must be identified, arrested, charged and prosecuted.

• Jonathan Ross, the officer who killed Renee Good must be arrested, charged and prosecuted.

In a statement, CAIR-MN said:

"Now is the time for our legal system to do its job. It does not matter what badge the killers were wearing, what we have seen is wrong and must not continue. Everyone must be equal under the law.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the City of Minneapolis are seeking court action to halt the broader immigration enforcement operation.

Nurses Demand Immediate Abolition of ICE

Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association were at the vigil for Alex Pretti the day after he was killed.

National Nurses United—the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses with more than 225,000 members is demanding the immediate abolition of ICE.  They said the agency’s actions repeatedly endanger communities and public safety.

The Minnesota Nurses Association highlighted that Alex died while caring for others and advocating for his community — core values of the nursing profession.

"Nurses dedicate their lives to helping people. Nursing is a really hard job," said Dana Gray, a registered nurse and MNA member. "You don't get through it, you don't survive it, if you don't have some grit in you, and Alex stood up to the oppressor. He didn't stay silent, and we can't stay silent either."

MNA leaders also called for justice and answers from elected state officials about why those involved in killing Alex and Renee Good have not been charged.

Watch

Independent journalist Georgia Fort went to the scene shortly after videos surfaced of Pretti getting shot and killed on Nicollet Ave.