Videos rapidly emerged depicting the shooting by a Border Patrol agent that has been widely condemned as a case of excessive force perpetrated by untrained federal officers. The administration claims it was a situation of an armed man inciting violence.
The Associated Press examined multiple bystander videos that show a Border Patrol agent shooting and killing 37-year-old Pretti after a roughly 30-second scuffle around 9 a.m. on Saturday. The videos seem to contradict statements from the Trump administration, which stated the shots were fired “defensively” against Pretti as he “approached” them with a gun.
In the videos, Pretti is seen holding only a phone in his hand. None of the footage appears to show him with a weapon. During the scuffle, agents discovered he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and they fired several shots. Pretti was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he watched one of the videos, said he saw “more than six masked agents beating one of our constituents to death.” Frey has said Minneapolis and St. Paul are being “invaded” by the administration’s operation, dubbed Operation Surge.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said Pretti wanted to cause “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” In posts on, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, called Pretti “a would-be assassin.”
This was the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by federal immigration authorities this month. The first, on Jan. 7, involved. It was also captured on videos and created a similar rift among political leaders.
The shooting took place when officers were pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault, Bovino said. Protesters regularly attempt to disrupt such operations, and they sounded high-pitched whistles, honked horns, and yelled at officers.
Among them was Pretti. At one point, in a video obtained by AP, Pretti is standing in the street holding up his phone. He is face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who places a hand on Pretti and pushes him toward the sidewalk.
Pretti is talking to the officer, though it’s not clear what he’s saying.
The video shows protesters moving in and out of the street as officers continue to try to keep them at a distance. One protester is handcuffed. Some officers are carrying pepper spray canisters.
Pretti reappears when the video shows an officer in tactical gear shoving a protester. The protester, wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle, reaches out for Pretti.
The same officer shoves Pretti in the chest, causing Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
A different video then shows Pretti moving toward another protester, who falls over after being shoved by the same officer. Pretti moves between the protester and the officer, extending his arms toward the officer.
The officer deploys pepper spray, and Pretti raises his hand and turns his face. The officer grabs Pretti’s hand to bring it behind his back, deploys the pepper spray canister again, and then pushes Pretti away.
Seconds later, at least a half-dozen federal officers surround Pretti, who is wrestled to the ground and hit several times. Several agents try to bring Pretti’s arms behind his back, and he resists.
Videos show an officer, hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, backing away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot.
Someone shouts “gun, gun.” It’s not clear if that refers to the weapon authorities say Pretti had.
And then the first shot is heard.
Videos don’t clearly show who fired the first shot. In one video, seconds before the first shot, one officer reaches for his belt and appears to draw his gun. That same officer is seen with a gun to Pretti’s back as three more shots are fired. Pretti slumps to the ground. Videos show the officers backing away, some with guns drawn. More shots are fired.
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a gun. Officials didn’t say if Pretti brandished the weapon or kept it hidden.
An agency statement said officers fired “defensive shots” after Pretti “violently resisted” officers trying to disarm him.
Walz expressed dismay at the characterization.
“I’ve seen the videos, from several angles, and it’s sickening,” he said.
Trump weighed in on social media by attacking Walz and Frey. Trump shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered from Pretti and said “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”