Minneapolis shooting: What we know about Alex Pretti, the man killed by Border Patrol agent

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot Saturday morning by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. 

Alex Pretti killed by Border Patrol in Minneapolis

What we know:

The man who was fatally shot by Border Patrol has been identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Pretti was a Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen with only traffic violations on his criminal record. He also had a valid permit to carry. 

Pretti was an ICU nurse and lived in Minneapolis. FOX 9 confirmed Pretti worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Pretti graduated from the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts in 2011. He was born in Illinois.

Avid outdoorsman who had been protesting ICE following Good's killing

Dig deeper:

The Associated Press is reporting Alex Pretti was an avid outdoorsman and a competitive bicycle racer who enjoyed going on adventures with Joule, his Catahoula Leopard dog, who recently died. 

Pretti had participated in protests following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer. Michael Pretti, his father who lives in Colorado, told The AP: 

"He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset. He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests."

Pretti’s mother said he cared immensely about the direction the country was headed, especially the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations, the AP says. 

Pretti’s ex-wife, who spoke to the Associated Press, said she was not surprised he would have been involved in protesting Trump’s immigration crackdown. She said she had not spoken to him since they divorced more than two years ago and she moved to another state. She said he's a Democratic voter and had participated in protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020. 

She described him as someone who might shout at law enforcement officers at a protest, but she had never known him to be physically confrontational, the AP reports. 

He got a permit to carry a concealed firearm about three years ago, she told the AP. He owned at least one semiautomatic handgun when they separated. 

What they're saying:

The American Federation of Government Employees Union Local 704 shared the following statement:

"The members of AFGE Local 704 are heartbroken and outraged to learn of the murder of our union sibling, Alex Pretti, by federal agents today in Minneapolis. 

"Pretti, a member of AFGE Local 3669, devoted his life to caring for our veterans. He was a public servant who served the American people and swore to uphold the Constitution. He was a valued member of our union. 

"No family should have to endure the pain of having their loved one’s life snatched away in this manner.   

"We demand an immediate, thorough, and independent investigation into this incident. Those responsible for the use of deadly force must be fully investigated and held accountable for any criminal actions. 

"This tragedy is further proof that the actions of CBP and ICE in our community are out of control, endangering the public, and taking lives with zero accountability.

"AFGE Local 704 stands in solidarity with Alex’s loved ones, AFGE Local 3669 and the entire Minneapolis community in their grief. We will not sit idly by as our members are subjected to violence. We demand justice for Alex Pretti. And justice will start with our Senators voting to deprive the Department of Homeland Security of the resources to terrorize our citizens. We urge Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth to vote against appropriations for DHS this week." 

DHS, Border Patrol response:

The Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol Commander-At-Large Greg Bovino claims the shooting was justified because Pretti was carrying a gun. Bovino said he had two loaded magazines and no identification. Bovino did not state if Pretti pulled a gun or where the gun was when he was shot. 

Dig deeper:

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. 

Minneapolis ICE shootings

The backstory:

This is the third shooting by federal agents this year. 

Renee Good was fatally shot in Minneapolis by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

Another man was shot in the leg by an ICE agent in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14, but survived.