Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, have spoken out to say that their son was a “good man.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ intensive care nurse was gunned down in the street on Saturday by multiple masked federal agents after being sprayed with a chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” Pretti’s parents said in a statement.
“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security branded Pretti a “domestic terrorist” in the hours after the shooting, claiming the agents who reportedly shot him at least 10 times were acting in self-defense.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” DHS said in a statement.
The Pretti family, who live in Colorado, have rejected the administration’s narrative.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”
“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
“He had 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.”
Video footage analysis appears to back up the claims made by the Prettis.
Alex, who was born in Illinois, lived in an apartment in a popular student area of South Minneapolis, The London Times reports. His family has said that he was an avid outdoorsman who cared deeply about what was happening in his city and participated in protests against federal agents in the wake of the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7. Roughly 30 feet from the building Pretti lived in is a tribute to George Floyd, who was killed by police in the city in 2020.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that Pretti had no criminal record beyond a couple of traffic tickets. He believes that the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
