Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, have spoken out to say that their son was a “good man.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ intensive care nurse was gunned down in the street on Saturday by multiple masked federal agents after being sprayed with a chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” Pretti’s parents said in a statement.
“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security branded Pretti a “domestic terrorist” in the hours after the shooting, claiming the agents who reportedly shot him at least 10 times were acting in self-defense.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” DHS said in a statement.
The Pretti family, who live in Colorado, have rejected the administration’s narrative.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”
“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
“He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper-sprayed.”
Video footage analysis appears to back up the claims made by the Prettis.
Alex, who was born in Illinois, lived in an apartment in a popular student area of South Minneapolis, The London Times reports. His family has said that he was an avid outdoorsman who cared deeply about what was happening in his city and participated in protests against federal agents in the wake of the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7. Roughly 30 feet from the building Pretti lived in is a tribute to George Floyd, who was killed by police in the city in 2020.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that Pretti had no criminal record beyond a couple of traffic tickets. He believes that the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Pretti’s mother said that her son was particularly invested in climate change and human impact on the environment.
“He hated that people were just trashing the land,” Susan Pretti said. “He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.”
His dog Joule, a Catahoula Leopard Dog, died not long ago.
Pretti’s father said that they had previously warned their son to be careful while out protesting.
“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,” said his father. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”
They have also said that it has been difficult to get information about their son following the shooting and that they were informed of his death by a reporter.
“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael said. “The police, they said: ‘Call Border Patrol.’ Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.”
The officer or officers who shot Pretti have yet to be identified, but Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino told a news conference that an officer with eight years at his agency pulled the trigger.
“I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman,” the Pretti family statement says, noting Alex’s defense of a woman who was shoved by a federal agent.
“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
