(CNN) — Federal immigration officers sent to Minneapolis by Donald Trump shot and killed a man in Minneapolis Saturday, drawing crowds of angry protesters to the shooting scene in a city already reeling from two other shootings by federal law enforcement this month. Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem and Trump quickly put out stories blaming the victim for his own death. But several videos showing what happened tell a completely different story from what Noem and Trump said, as did videos taken of the shooting of Minneapolis mother Renee Good by a federal agents. A week after Good was killed, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis.
The victim was U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, 37 years old, who was am intensive care unit nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital.
The shooting of Pretti occurred on a frigid morning as federal agents, seen in video footage, wrestled him to the ground after spraying him and another individual with pepper spray. A week after Good was killed, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis.
Pretti was a licensed gun owner and had the necessary permit to be carrying a gun.
What led up to the shooting
The shooting took place at around 9 a.m. local time on a part of Nicollet Avenue known as Eat Street, a vibrant, multi-block stretch that is a symbol of the city’s multicultural community.
The block is lined with restaurants, including Peninsula Malaysian Cuisine, Christos Greek Restaurant, the German-themed Black Forest Inn and Lanza Restaurant, which serves East African food.
The Department of Homeland Security said that agents were conducting a targeted operation against an undocumented immigrant “wanted for violent assault.”
A person allegedly being chased by federal officers ran into a nearby doughnut shop, according to Nilson Barahona, who was in the shop at the time. People inside locked the door after him.
The officers tried to enter the shop but couldn’t, then called for backup, Barahona recounted. Community members in the shop sought help with the situation, he said.
The shooting
Observers gathered outside the shop, blowing whistles and recording.
According to video and witness accounts, Pretti — wearing a black baseball hat, sunglasses and a brown jacket — is seen standing in the middle of the street alone, holding what appears to be his phone, presumably recording the federal agents.
One video shows a man, believed to be Pretti, standing and facing at least one federal agent. His right hand appears to be raised, holding a phone, seemingly recording the interaction. It’s unclear whether they are speaking to each other.
An agent pushes a woman bystander to the ground and Pretty then moves toward the woman. An agent then grabs Pretti and sprays him with a chemical irritant, described as pepper spray by another impacted witness.
Pretti appears to try help one of the other bystanders to her feet, according to the witness.
Agents then try to separate Pretti from the bystander and wrestle him to the ground.
At least one officer can be heard shouting “he’s got a gun” as one officer reaches into Pretti’s waistband. An officer appears to walk away holding Pretti’s weapon. It is after the agent has removed Pretti’s gun from where Pretti was being held on the ground by other agents that a shot is heard followed by at least nine more, according to videos.
It is unclear from the videos reviewed by CNN whether the officer who took the weapon from Pretti told the others once he had taken it away. It is also unclear which agent fired the first shot.
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino accused Pretti of trying to “massacre law enforcement,” saying he had a gun and “magazines full of ammunition.” The video completely contradicts Bovino’s allegation. Bovino also said that the Border Patrol agent who shot Pretti was “highly trained” and has served as an agent for eight years. “The officer has extensive training as a range safety officer and less lethal officer,” he added.
But Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the Trump administration’s account of what happened “nonsense” and “lies,” pointing to videos of the incident. “What I see with my eyes and what you’re going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe,” he said at a Saturday news conference. “I’ve seen the videos from several angles, and it’s sickening.”
A witness said they did not see Pretti resist or try to reach for his gun during the interaction, according to a new filing in a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by protesters in December, which outlines information about Saturday’s incident.
The investigation
Homeland Security Department officials later said they are collecting accounts from the scene and scrutinizing videos to put together what unfolded, including when the first shots were fired, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
A Minnesota judge granted a temporary restraining order Saturday, blocking federal agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security — from destroying or altering any evidence related to the shooting. The order includes evidence removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody.
The ruling marks an early legal victory for state officials seeking to preserve evidence and assert oversight of the investigation.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which are suing the Trump administration, requested the order Saturday.
CNN has reached out to DHS and the U.S. Justice Department for comment on the lawsuit and on allegations by Minnesota authorities that evidence was removed from the scene.
A court hearing is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. in St. Paul.
Who was Alex Pretti?
Alex Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, his parents said in a statement.
Pretti worked at the center for about five years, according to a co-worker who wished to remain anonymous.
Pretti put himself through medical school by working at the local VA, then joined the staff after graduating, according to the source. They said Pretti researched ways to prevent veterans from dying from colon cancer.
Pretti graduated from high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2006, according to CNN affiliate Spectrum News and from the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts in 2011.
His family described him as a “kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for,” going on to say that “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world.”
The-CNN-Wire
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