Federal law enforcement in Minneapolis fatally shot a graduate of Green Bay Preble High School on Saturday, Jan. 24, the latest flashpoint in what has become a virtual referendum on President Trump’s immigration efforts.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse who lived in Minneapolis, was quickly identified by his parents, who live in Colorado.
Pretti was a registered nurse in Minneapolis and a U.S. citizen.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol officer fatally shot Pretti after he approached agents with a handgun and they attempted to disarm him, USA Today reported.
Videos don’t show Pretti wielding a gun. From at least some angles, he appears to be holding a cellphone.
Pretti does have a permit to carry a firearm. He did not have a criminal record.
He built his career caring for patients in high‑pressure medical settings at the Minneapolis VA hospital, Pretti’s family told CNN in a statement.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the family said in a Jan. 24 statement.
The family disputed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s account of the shooting.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the statement said. “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. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
By Saturday evening, both political sides had reiterated positions they have consistently held throughout the unrest in Minneapolis. Trump and his supporters say the problem is rhetoric from liberals, and that any violence is the fault of the victims. Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and their supporters say federal agents are little more than an occupying force, brutalizing U.S. citizens.
Pretti graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006. He was an honor roll student and performed with the Preble Players Theatre. He attended the University of Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn page.
“I mourn his tragic death with his friends and family, and join the chorus of Americans who are rightfully demanding the federal government change course and enforce immigration law in keeping with local, state, and federal laws and the U.S. Constitution,” said Eric Genrich, Green Bay mayor, in a statement hours after Pretti was identified.
Pretti was killed about a mile away from where Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE agents. Pretti’s shooting marks the third since federal agents made their presence known in the city. This fatal shooting came the morning after tens of thousands of people flooded downtown Minneapolis demanding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave the city.
“What ICE is doing on the streets of Minnesota would summon Americans anywhere to have grievances if it happened in their communities,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a Jan. 24 statement. “Killing a protester who was on his knees rather than deescalating the situation is a fundamental affront to American values.”
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.
“We will not stand by while our neighbors in Minneapolis are being terrorized,” the group said in a Jan. 24 Facebook post.
Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be reached at gcastro@gannett.com.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man killed in Minneapolis protests was Green Bay high school graduate
Reporting by Gina Lee Castro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
