The parents of the man shot during an operation by federal agents from the US immigration agency ICE in Minneapolis accuse the emergency services of shooting their son without a legitimate reason.
01/25/2026, 04:5201/25/2026, 04:52
The government, which described an officer’s shooting as self-defense, was lying, according to a statement from Alex Pretti’s family published by several US media outlets. Contrary to what was claimed, the 37-year-old nurse did not pose a threat to the officers when he was attacked by the emergency services.
Kristi Noem is the US Secretary of Homeland Security – the victim’s parents accuse her authorities of lying.Image: keystone
“The vile lies that the government is spreading about our son are reprehensible and disgusting,” the statement continued. “Alex is clearly not holding a weapon when he is attacked by Trump’s murderous and cowardly ICE thugs.” He was simply trying to protect a woman who had been taken to the ground by an ICE officer and was sprayed with pepper spray before the shots were fired. The truth must be brought to light.
Surrounded by eight officers – then shots are fired
Videos from various perspectives of the incident on Saturday morning (local time) on a street in the major US city are circulating online. In one of them, which the German Press Agency has verified, you can see how several masked people in riot gear forcefully bring a person to the ground and try to restrain them. Obviously it’s Alex Pretti. In the end he is surrounded by eight emergency services.
Then shots are fired, according to the sound there are about ten. It may be that different people are shooting, but this cannot be clearly seen from the recordings. Even as the person lies motionless on the ground, at least one of the masked men continues to shoot at him. Based on the videos checked by dpa, no statement can be made regarding the question of whether the man was possibly armed. In one of the videos circulating on social networks, it appears as if a pistol may have been taken from him – but before the first shots were fired.
Ministry describes alleged threatening situation
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Pretti was armed. The federal officers were involved in an operation against a foreigner wanted for assault who was said to be in the USA illegally when a person approached with a semi-automatic pistol. The ministry shared a photo of the suspected weapon on X. The officers tried to disarm the 37-year-old, but he resisted. Then an officer fired the fatal shots. According to local police, the man who was shot was generally authorized to carry a weapon. (sda/dpa)