Minneapolis shooting: Green Bay graduate Alex Pretti fatally shot, identified

Man killed in Minneapolis protests was Green Bay high school graduate

Family members identified Green Bay native Alex Pretti as the man fatally shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis, as a former classmate described him as kind and nonviolent amid ongoing protests.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - More than 24 hours after a fatal shooting involving a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, family members have identified the man killed as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who they say was raised in Green Bay.

Local perspective:

Christopher Di Salvi said after hearing reports Saturday about a 37-year-old man shot and killed in Minneapolis, he never imagined the victim would be one of his former classmates from Green Bay Preble High School.

Preble High School yearbook photo of Alex Pretti (Courtesy: WLUK-TV)

"He was genuine, he was kind, he was friendly to everyone I know," said Di Salvi. "He was always a good person, and always thought of him that way, so I was really heartbroken to hear him this way."

What we know:

According to the Department of Homeland Security, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed Pretti Saturday morning. DHS said Pretti approached officers with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun, but did not specify whether he exposed the weapon.

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Officials said officers acted in self-defense.

Preble High School yearbook photo of Alex Pretti (Courtesy: WLUK-TV)

Video from the scene shows Pretti on the ground after being tackled by Border Patrol agents. Another video shows an agent removing the gun from Pretti's waistband before another agent opened fire several times, killing him.

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota.

What they're saying:

"I never thought of him to encourage any kind of violence at all. To hear his name in this way is really hard," Di Salvi said.

Di Salvi said he and Pretti attended Green Bay Preble High School at the same time and later both enrolled at the University of Minnesota. He described Pretti as being heavily involved in school activities, from athletics to theater.

Preble High School yearbook photo of Alex Pretti (Courtesy: WLUK-TV)

More recently, Pretti worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as an intensive care nurse.

As the investigation into the shooting continues, demonstrations against ICE operations have taken place closer to home. In West Allis, protesters gathered demanding justice.

"Democracy is the only thing that is the antiseptic to autocracy," said Gwen Moore, U.S. representative, a Democrat.

"We have the power to make a difference, to fight for our communities, for our neighbors," said Angelito Tenorio, Wisconsin Assembly District 14 representative, a Democrat.

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Di Salvi said news of Pretti’s death has been difficult for many who knew him.

"Even if you weren’t super close with him, you felt like you had a friend and genuine person who wanted to know you," he said. "I never had a bad interaction with him at all, I couldn't think of any."

Dig deeper:

President Donald Trump weighed in on the shooting on Truth Social, pointing out Pretti’s loaded gun and extra magazines.

In part, he wrote the following:

"The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!"

The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.

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