Parents of Agitator Shot by Federal Agents in Minneapolis Had Urged Him ‘Not to Do Anything Stupid’ While Out Protesting

 

The parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the 37-year-old shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, had urged him to “not do anything stupid” while protesting.

Pretti, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, had no prior criminal record before he decided to confront the Border Patrol agents.

The incident occurred one day after a massive protest where tens of thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis to oppose ICE’s operations in the city.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Pretti approached Border Patrol officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and began forcefully resisting orders.

“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” Michael Pretti, Alex’s father, told the Associated Press. “He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.”

Pretti was a United States citizen and was born in Illinois.

His parents, who live in Wisconsin, had spoken to him two weeks ago about not engaging officers during the unrest.

“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”

Relatives told CBS News that “Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that he had a permit to carry.

Pretti’s family learned about his death after seeing the video and thinking that it looked like him.

“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael Pretti told CBS. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions?”

Eventually, they confirmed it was him by calling the medical examiner.

The Department of Homeland Security’s statement about the shooting read in full:

“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.

The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.

Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.

About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.

This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.”

The mayhem is still unfolding in Minneapolis, as hundreds of protesters descended on the area of the shooting and continuously ignored dispersal orders.