Alex Pretti’s Parents Remember Their Last Call with Son Days Before He Was Killed 

The parents of Alex Pretti are remembering who their son was before he was shot and killed in Minneapolis on January 24.

Pretti, 37, worked as an ICU nurse. The Department of Homeland Security said he was shot at close range by a U.S. Border Patrol officer during what DHS described as “a targeted operation” connected to “an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.” In a January 24 statement, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin alleged that Pretti approached officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him.

Since that statement, witnesses have circulated videos and accounts that dispute key parts of the government’s version of events, including allegations that Pretti was holding a phone — not a gun — in the moments before he was shot.

His parents’ last conversations with him

After his death, Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan, told the Associated Press they spoke with him by phone a couple of days earlier. They said the conversation was ordinary: they talked about repairs to his garage door.

They also told the AP that the person who fixed the garage door was Latino, and that Alex tipped him $100 — something they said reflected his concern about what was unfolding in Minneapolis at the time.

They added that they knew Pretti planned to attend a protest and that they had previously urged him to be careful.

“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 told the AP.

“And he said he knows that,” Michael continued. “He knew that.”

The family said they confirmed his death through the Hennepin County Medical Examiner after trying to get information from officials in Minnesota.

In a statement released after his death was confirmed, the family described Pretti as a “kindhearted soul” and rejected DHS’ account of the shooting, calling it “sickening lies.”

“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the statement began. “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.”

Witness accounts and medical response

Six witnesses described the shooting and what happened afterward in affidavits.

One witness said she was driving when Pretti directed her where to park amid the protests. She alleged that he was filming the scene on his cell phone and later walked closer with his camera out to record what was happening and to “support” observers who were being threatened with pepper spray by federal agents.

“[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,” the woman wrote. “It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up.”

She said agents then took Pretti down, and that while he was on the ground, four or five agents “started shooting him.”

A second witness — an unidentified 29-year-old licensed pediatrician — said they attempted to provide medical care to Pretti, who was described as being in “critical condition,” according to federal district court filings.

The physician said agents repeatedly asked for proof of medical credentials before allowing them to assess Pretti, and that the agents patted them down to confirm they “didn’t have a weapon.” Once permitted to approach, the physician said Pretti was “lying on his side” surrounded by agents and that they did not see anyone check for a pulse or administer CPR.

“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.

“I checked for a pulse, but I did not feel one. I immediately began CPR. Shortly after I started compressions, EMS personnel arrived and took over,” the physician added.

It was later reported that Pretti sustained at least 10 gunshot wounds fired within five seconds.