Protester Standing ‘5 Feet’ from Alex Pretti Says He Was ‘Trying to Help a Woman’ When Agents Killed Him: ‘They’re Not Telling the Truth’

A Minneapolis woman who says she witnessed federal immigration agents shoot and kill Alex Pretti over the weekend described the encounter as terrifying — and said she now feels unsafe after hearing agents were “looking” for her.

The woman is one of six witnesses who have submitted affidavits describing what they say happened immediately before and after Pretti — a 37-year-old ICU nurse — was shot at close range by a federal immigration agent. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other DHS and ICE officials are listed as defendants in the case.

In her statement dated Saturday, Jan. 24, the witness — who said she works as a children’s entertainer specializing in face painting — wrote that she was leaving home earlier that morning when she heard whistles outside, which she understood to mean immigration agents were nearby.

She said she has been “observing” in her community since federal immigration agents arrived in the area. According to her statement, she drove toward Nicollet Ave., where she saw a convoy of government vehicles along with “about 15” observers. Some were recording activity on their phones.

The witness said a man later identified as Pretti was helping direct traffic and told her where to park before continuing to film the scene on his cell phone.

The woman said agents began forcing observers back and threatened them with pepper spray. She wrote that Pretti walked toward the interaction with his camera out to film what was happening and to “support them.”

She described what happened next in stark detail: an agent shoved an observer to the ground and then pepper-sprayed multiple people at close range, including Pretti.

“Then the [federal] agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper-spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. [Pretti] put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him. Then [Pretti] tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying,” she said, adding she felt the chemical burn in her own eyes.

The witness said agents then took Pretti to the ground.

“I didn’t see him touch any of them — he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun,” she said.

She alleged that several agents pinned him down and began firing.

“Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. I don’t know why they shot him,” she said. “He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.”

The witness provided the video she recorded as evidence. She said what she saw — and what she captured — conflicts with statements from Noem, Stephen Miller and other Trump administration figures who described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and alleged he approached officers intending to “inflict maximum damage.”

“I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong,” she said. “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.”

She said she feared retaliation in the hours after the shooting.

“Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don’t feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me,” she claimed. “I don’t know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they’re not telling the truth about what happened.”

The woman said she swung between “crying and feeling determined” after the incident, and wrote that she believes documenting what happens on the ground is essential.

“We show up for the people who need us to bear witness, because it can’t just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny,” she said. “This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line.”

She added that Pretti “lost his life for those values.”

A second affidavit came from a 29-year-old licensed pediatrician who said they pleaded with agents to allow them to help Pretti after he was shot.

“None of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, and I could tell that the victim was in critical condition,” the physician testified, saying agents initially blocked access and “repeatedly asked” to see a medical license.

“I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him,” the witness said.

After being searched for weapons, the physician said they were permitted to approach. They wrote that Pretti was lying on his side and surrounded by agents — something they described as unusual for a gunshot victim.

“I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents. I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot,” the physician explained.

“Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice,” they continued. “Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds. I asked the ICE agents if the victim had a pulse, and they said they did not know.”

The physician said they began CPR, but medics arrived shortly afterward and pronounced Pretti dead at the scene.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara later confirmed at a press conference that Pretti was a lawful gun owner and had a license to carry.

Pretti’s parents also issued a statement urging the public to share what they called the truth about their son.

“We are heartbroken but also very angry…The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” Michael and Susan Pretti said. “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”

“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact,” they added.