Witness videos of CBP killing a Minnesota man appear to counter Trump administration’s narrative
Eyewitness videos showing at least one federal agent shooting and killing Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis appear to contradict the Trump administration’s description of events, presenting two starkly different accounts.
Shortly after the shooting, federal officials said officers acted in self-defense during a violent altercation Saturday morning. Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, adding that agents “attempted to disarm him” and he “violently resisted.” President Donald Trump shared a photo of what he said was the shooter’s “gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!) and ready to go.” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Pretti “attempted to assassinate federal law enforcement.”
But at least four different videos of the encounter — filmed by eyewitnesses and verified and analyzed by NBC News — run counter to some of the administration’s statements. The videos do not appear to show Pretti holding a weapon during the skirmish that led to his death. The footage shows him coming to the aid of a pushed federal agent before the encounter.
And part of the video shows a federal agent appearing to intervene in the skirmish near Pretti and remove a gun that resembled Pretti’s shortly before he was shot. Bovino and Noem said the situation is under investigation. Pretti was a nurse and had a license to carry a firearm, local officials said.
The videos, shot by witnesses from different vantage points – on the street, in a store and in a car – show Pretti holding a phone when he and the officers began fighting. Noem declined to say whether Pretti pulled out a gun before he was shot.
The recordings begin with Pretti filming masked officers conducting an operation on Nicollet Avenue. Federal officials said agents were on scene searching for a man wanted in connection with an assault and who was in the United States illegally. Pretti is a U.S. citizen, local officials said.
In the videos, Pretti is one of many people on the street. Some whistle, shout and honk their horns. Pretti, wearing brown pants, a dark hooded coat and a dark baseball cap, can be seen talking to police officers at close range in the middle of the street. One of the officers pushes him back to the sidewalk.
Moments later, Pretti returns to the street, holding his phone horizontally in his right hand. He passes a car coming in the opposite direction. He walks towards the agents who are pushing the others away.
Pretti puts his arm around one of these people and leads them to the sidewalk. A few meters away, an officer pushes another person, who falls onto the snowy sidewalk. Pretti steps between the agent and the person. The deadly fight begins.
Pretti confronts the officer, who pulls out what appears to be pepper spray. Pretti turns away, raising his left hand above his head, and the officer sprays Pretti’s face and pushes him.
Pretti walks towards the person on the sidewalk and the officer sprays him again. Pretti appears to put his phone in his right coat pocket, then runs into the person and grabs them. The police officer shoots Pretti, who clings to the person on the sidewalk. Several other officers surround Pretti and push him to the sidewalk.
As they fight, the police shout. One of them, holding an object in his right hand, appears to swing three times towards Pretti’s head. Pretti can be seen leaning forward, holding himself up with his forearms and hands on the sidewalk.
Another officer, wearing a gray jacket, approaches the melee with nothing in his hands and extends his hand toward Pretti. Someone says “gun.” An officer wearing a black mask standing over Pretti takes his gun out of his holster and points it at Pretti.
The officer in the gray jacket turns away from the fray with a gun that resembles Pretti’s in his right hand. Pretti is on his knees. The first shot rings out. The officer in the gray jacket, now holding the gun pointed downward in his hand, runs away. The officer in the black mask moves behind Pretti and three more shots are fired. Pretti collapses and rolls onto his back.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment when asked what weapon the gray-jacketed officer was holding.
The officers back away and more shots, what appears to be about seven, are fired while Pretti remains motionless. People are screaming in fear and at the police. “What the fuck did you just do?” shouts a woman. “Oh my God.”
After several moments, the officers kneel down next to Pretti, appearing to provide aid. People are screaming for someone to call an ambulance.
Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
