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ARTICLE AD BOX
A physician witness said in a sworn court filing that he did not see Alex Pretti brandish a weapon before he was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, and alleged agents fired multiple times and did not render first aid, in conflict with DHS claims that Pretti posed a deadly threat.
A witness to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent said in newly filed court documents that he did not see the man brandish a weapon and that federal agents failed to render first aid after the shooting, according to a sworn declaration reviewed by USA TODAY.
The declaration was filed in federal court just hours after the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen and Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, who was shot during an encounter with immigration agents conducting operations in the city.
Witness says no weapon was visible
“I saw him yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind,” the witness wrote in the declaration, which was submitted under threat of perjury.
According to the filing, the witness — whose name was redacted — is a physician who lives near the scene of the shooting. The witness said he woke early Saturday to the sound of “screaming from outside” and observed Pretti confronting immigration agents.
“Suddenly, an ICE agent shoved him to the ground,” the witness wrote. “My view of the altercation was partially obstructed, but after a few seconds, I saw at least four ICE agents point guns at the man. I then saw the agents shoot the man at least six or seven times.”
Allegations of failure to provide medical aid
After the shooting, the witness said he attempted to assist Pretti and was alarmed by what he described as a lack of emergency medical care by federal agents.
“I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice,” the witness, identified in the filing as a pediatrician, wrote. “Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice.”
“Instead of doing either of those things,” the witness added, “the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.”
DHS labels incident ‘domestic terrorism’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters on January 24 that Pretti “came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers” and described the incident as an act of “domestic terrorism.”
Noem said the semiautomatic handgun and two magazines Pretti was carrying showed he intended to “inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement.”
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