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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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President Donald Trump has reacted to a new video showing Alex Pretti in a confrontation with federal immigration agents 11 days before the intensive care nurse was fatally shot during a separate encounter with Border Patrol agents.
Although he did not comment directly on the video, Trump shared the footage on his Truth Social platform late Wednesday night, then later shared a screenshot appearing to show an X post saying “such a peaceful protester” in response to the video. Another post in the screengrab described Pretti as a "domestic terrorist." Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.
A representative for the Pretti family confirmed to CBS News, CNN and NBC News that the man in the video was Pretti. It was first posted by The News Movement, an online media outlet, on Wednesday. A BBC News review of the video using facial-recognition technology suggested a 97 percent match.
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The video, recorded on January 13, shows a man, said to be Pretti, motioning to spit and kicking the taillight of a government SUV as agents prepared to leave the scene. The vehicle stops and officers get out and force him to the ground. Agents then deploy chemical irritants while bystanders shout, honk car horns and film the scene on their phones.
What appears to be a handgun is visible in Pretti's waistband, similar to footage taken on the day he was killed. At no point is he seen reaching for the gun and it is unclear whether the federal agents saw it.
The footage does not show whether federal officers detained the man. The Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek on Wednesday that the agency was reviewing the video.
Why It Matters
The footage has rekindled the national debate about the death of Pretti, the second U.S. citizen killed this month by federal agents in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
It comes after Trump this week promised an "honest" investigation into Pretti's shooting after his administration faced backlash for portraying Pretti as a "would-be assassin" who was "brandishing" a weapon. Local officials have contradicted those claims.
In videos of the incident, reviewed by Newsweek, he did not appear to have a weapon in his hand. In a statement, his family said he was holding his phone in his right hand, while his empty left hand was placed above his head.
Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, Minnesota officials said. Gun rights groups have staunchly defended the right to carry a firearm while lawfully protesting.
What To Know
The video shared by The News Movement shows Pretti wearing glasses, a dark baseball cap and a winter coat yelling at federal vehicles. At one point, he makes a motion to spit and yells “trash” toward the driver’s side of a dark Ford Expedition with flashing red and blue lights.
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As the vehicle pulls slowly away, Pretti kicks at the taillight and then delivers a second kick that shatters the red plastic and leaves the taillight dangling.
Another video of the confrontation, filmed by Max Shapiro, was published by the Minnesota Star Tribune and later obtained by The Associated Press.
Both videos capture the rear door of the SUV swinging open and an immigration officer wearing a gas mask and helmet getting out. The officer walks toward Pretti, grabs his shirt at his chest, pulling him back toward the vehicle as Pretti’s arms flail. The officer pulls Pretti back onto the street and down onto his knees, falling over Pretti in the scuffle.
Other masked and helmeted officers surround them and try to subdue Pretti. Others stand guard between them and a screaming crowd, before the officers set off tear gas canisters and withdraw.
After Pretti stumbles away, Shapiro walks over and hugs Pretti, asking if he is OK. Pretti affirms that he is, before turning to others involved in the melee and asking: “Are we all OK? Are we all safe?”
Shapiro told the AP that he understands some will use the videos to try to vilify Pretti, but said he seemed like someone who cared deeply about what was happening to the people caught up in the Trump administration’s deportation push.
What People Are Saying
Steve Schleicher, a Minneapolis-based attorney representing Pretti's parents, said in a statement to AP that the earlier altercation in no way justified the officers fatally shooting Pretti on Saturday.
He said: “A week before Alex was gunned down in the street — despite posing no threat to anyone — he was violently assaulted by a group of (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24.”
**Alex Pretti's parents previously said in a joint statement: "**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."
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, posted a clip from the News Movement's video, on X, adding: “Just a peaceful legal observer.”
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday: "We're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honourable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.”
What Happens Next
Three federal investigations into the shooting are underway. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were investigating the shooting and U.S. Customs and Border Protection was “conducting their own internal review,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
Meanwhile, a judge issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” after Minnesota officials sued in a bid to preserve evidence for an independent state investigation.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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