You’re viewing a text-only version of this website that uses less data. View the main version of the website including all images and videos.
Who be Alex Pretti, di intensive care nurse wey immigration agent shoot dead for Minneapolis?
- Author, Aoife Walsh
- Role, Washington
- Author, Olivia Ireland
- Read am in 6 mins
Di family of di man wey federal agents for Minneapolis shoot dead on Saturday don identify am as 37-year-old intensive care nurse, Alex Pretti.
Pretti family describe am as active outdoorsman wey love mountain biking, and dem say e bin follow for di protests afta one Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shoot dead Renee Good, wey also be 37, for inside her car earlier dis month.
Conflicting accounts don emerge about moments wey lead up to Pretti death.
D Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tok say agents bin fire in self-defence afta Pretti, wey dem claim say hold handgun, resist attempts to collect di gun from im hand.
Some eyewitnesses and officials, plus Pretti family, don challenge dat account.
Pretti bin work as ICU nurse for di Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, im family tok for one statement.
Dem tell di Associated Press news agency (AP) say e no dey happy wit US President Donald Trump crackdown on immigration for di city.
Pretti mother also say her son care ideeply about di Trump administration rollback of environmental regulations.
"E hate am, you know, di way pipo just dey pour dirty on di land," Susan Pretti tellAP.
She add say: "E be pesin wey like to dey outside. E dey carry im dog go evriwia e go. You know, e love im kontri, but e hate wetin pipo dey do to am."
Pretti no get wahala wit law enforcement pass traffic tickets, family tok
Pretti love adventures wit im beloved Catahoula Leopard dog Joule, wey die around a year ago, AP bin report.
Im family say e no get wahala wit law enforcement beyond one handful of traffic tickets. According to AP, court records show say e no get criminal record.
Pretti parents, wey dey live for Wisconsin, tok say dem bin recently tell dia son to dey careful as e dey protest.
"We bin get dis discussion wit am two weeks ago or so, you know, say go ahead and protest, but no follow dem cause wahala, bo do anytin stupid, basically," im father Michael Pretti tell AP.
"And e tok say im sabi all dat one. He know."
Pretti family also explain say e get one handgun and e get permission to carry concealed handgun for Minnesota - but dem no ever see am carry am.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara also tok say police believe say e be lawful gun owner wey get permit to carry, BBC US partner CBS report.
'Please tok di truth out about our son'
After seeing videos suggesting their son was a "domestic terrorist," Pretti's family issued a statement saying "the sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting".
They claimed videos showed Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents.
"Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man," they urged in their statement.
Pretti was a Democratic voter and had taken part in the wave of street protests after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, his ex-wife told AP.
She said that he was someone who may shout at law enforcement officers at a protest but had never known him to be physically confrontational.
Pretti na US citizen wey dem born for Illinois. E grow up for Green Bay, Wisconsin, wia e play football, baseball and e run track for Preble High School.
E bin dey Boy Scout and e sing for di Green Bay Boy Choir.
E attend di University of Minnesota, e graduate for 2011 wit a bachelor degree in biology, society and di environment, according to im family.
E bin work as research scientist bifor e return to school to bicom a registered nurse.
Im parents tok say di last conversation wit dia son na a couple of days bifor im death. Dem bin tok about di repairs wey e go do for di garage door for im house, AP report.
Doctor Dmitri Drekonja, wey work wit Pretti, tell ABC News say two of dem bond well-well ova dia interest in mountain biking and dem dey compare notes on which trails to ride.
"E be di type of pesin you go like to dey around and di idea say dis helpful, smiling joking guy dey labelled as a terrorist? Dey annoying," e tok.
Neighbours describe Pretti as quiet and warmhearted.
"E be wonderful pesin," Sue Gitar tell AP, she dey live downstairs from di nurse and say e move into di building about three years ago. "E get great heart."
Pretti live alone and dey work long hours as a nurse, but e no be loner, im neighbours said.
"I no ever reason am as pesin wey fit carry gun," Gitar.
Wetin happun moments bifor di shooting?
Di shooting happun on Saturday morning near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street for south Minneapolis at 09:05 local time (15:05 GMT).
On Saturday night, hundreds of pipo pay tribute to Pretti, dem light candles and chant im name near di spot dem take shoot am.
During di day, hundreds of protesters bin show dia anger against di shooting and ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids for di city, as armed and masked agents use tear gas and flashbang grenades to scata dem.
Protests don spread to oda US cities, wit more dan 1,000 demonstrators for New York on Saturday, wey hold signs wey include "Justice for Alex" and "abolish ICE". Hundreds bin also take part for one protest for sub-zero temperatures for Chicago.
Videos from moments bifor di shooting bin show as Pretti bin dey feem di agents wit im fone for di middle of di street. Pipo fit hear di whistling and shouting from bystanders for di background.
From one angle, e show like say one agent push one woman. Wen di camera move back to Pretti, e show im arm around her. Di agent push anoda woman. At di same time, Pretti stretch out im hand and stand between her and di agent.
Di agent come spray sometin for im eyes. Pretti turn im face away and put one open hand up for air. E be like say e hold fone for di oda hand. No gun dey visible.
Anoda video from a different angle show as di agent grab Pretti hand bifor more agents get involved.
Dem push Pretti for ground, and at least six agents bin dey on top of him. Di video show as one agent dey hit am on im head..
Di video show anoda agent wey come di scene wit empty hands, pull back wit wetin be like gun for im hand. As e waka comot towards one vehicle, one split second later anoda agent stand beside am and open fire.
Di agents jump back from di man wey lie down for ground and di firing continue. Pipo say dem hear a total of 10 gunshots.