The morning after tens of thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis against a federal immigration crackdown, agents fatally shot a U.S. citizen on Jan. 24.
Here’s what we know
Who was shot and killed in Minneapolis? Who is Alex Pretti?
The victim is 37‑year‑old Alex Jeffrey Pretti of Minneapolis, a registered nurse who worked in the intensive care unit for the Veterans Administration. Pretti graduated in 2006 from Green Bay Preble High School where he was an honor roll student, competed in state solo and ensemble and was part of the cast in the Preble Players comedy play “Radio Daze” in May 2006.
What caused the Minneapolis shooting?
Around 9 a.m. Jan. 24, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was conducting an immigration enforcement operation in in the area of 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
The federal department said a Border Patrol officer resorted to fatally shooting Pretti after he approached agents with a handgun and they attempted to disarm him, USA Today reported.
However, multiple videos captured by people at the scene tell a different story.
Video doesn’t show Pretti holding a gun in his hands. After an agent shoves a person, Pretti stands between the person and agents. Agents then spray a substance at their faces. About eight agents wrestle Pretti to the ground. An agent then shoots Pretti several times, USA Today reported.
The federal department says Pretti had a handgun and two magazines. Pretti owned a firearm and has a permit to carry a firearm. He didn’t have a criminal record.
Reaction to the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS are “out of control.”
“I will not support funding for DHS without clear accountability and stronger controls over the agency,” Baldwin said in a Jan. 24 post on X. “It is time for the Senate to do its job and rein in this lawlessness.”
Gov. Tony Evers kept it simple, showing support for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a fellow Democrat
“Wisconsin stands with Minnesota,” he said on X Jan. 24, replying to a post by Walz calling for the end of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement action in Minneapolis.
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson denounced agents’ fatal shooting of Pretti in statements hours after he was identified.
Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, a Wisconsin teacher and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said Pretti was selfless and cared deeply for his community.
“Educators across Wisconsin stand with Alex Pretti’s family, former classmates and the Green Bay and Minneapolis communities in grief. … The long-lasting damage caused by ICE violence will reverberate in Minnesota, Wisconsin and across America for years to come,” Wirtz-Olsen said in a statement Jan. 24.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called Pretti dedicated to serving his community. “As so many have now seen on video, his final act before he was killed by federal agents was doing everything in his power to protect his community.”
Dr. Aasma Shaukat, a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, described Pretti as the “kindest, sweetest human.” He was one of her research assistants, she said in a Jan. 24 post on X.
“May his soul rest in peace and this senseless carnage stop,” Shaukat said.
The shock of Pretti’s death goes beyond the Midwest. Zach Lambert, a pastor in Austin, Texas, says he hopes his two sons grow up to be like Pretti.
“He lived helping people in need and died helping people in need,” Lambert said.
Protests in wake of Border Patrol fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota
Angelito Tenorio, a former West Allis alderperson, encouraged people to join him in a protest against ICE.
“We demand that ICE stop terrorizing our cities and get out of our communities,” Tenorio said in a Facebook post Jan. 24.
The protest is scheduled for 2 pm Jan. 25 at West Allis City Hall Centennial Plaza.
In response to Pretti’s death, Green Bay Anti-War called an “emergency protest” at 2 p.m. Jan. 25 at the CityDeck in downtown Green Bay, saying, “We will not stand by while our neighbors in Minneapolis are being terrorized.”
Meanwhile, protesters gathered Jan. 24 in Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park after learning of the fatal shooting by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis.
Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be reached at gcastro@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Alex Pretti Green Bay grad killed by Border Patrol in Minnesota. What we know
Reporting by Gina Lee Castro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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