Minneapolis CBP Shooting: Video Analysis Contradicts DHS 'Armed Struggle' Narrative

On January 24, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, was shot and killed by federal agents on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This incident occurred just over two weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by a federal agent in the same city. The United States Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti was killed after an 'armed struggle' with DHS officers and that it seemed he had wanted to 'do maximum damage.' However, video footage shared online, showing the moments shortly before and during the incident, appears to contradict that official claim. Some of the earliest available footage of the encounter, posted to Instagram, shows an agent crossing the street to talk to Pretti, who appears to be filming with his phone, which he is held in his right hand. According to DHS, agents were conducting an immigration arrest in the area. The agent can be seen placing his hand on Pretti's torso to push him back and away from the middle of the road towards the sidewalk. Another video shared on Reddit shows what happened after this initial contact, as well as the lead-up to the shooting. Pretti appears to put himself between two women after they were both shoved by a DHS agent. He is holding a cellphone, held sideways in his right hand. A video shows Pretti recording federal agents roughly a minute before he is shot. Pretti's right hand, holding the phone, is visible. The footage analysis challenges the official narrative of an imminent threat requiring lethal force, suggesting instead a confrontation escalated during a documented encounter.