Topline
A man killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota on Saturday has been identified as Alex Loansa 37-year-old critical care nurse from Minneapolis.
Federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old South Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti during a scuffle to arrest him.
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Key facts
The American Nurses Association has a statement On Saturday afternoon, it said it was “deeply disturbed and saddened by the death of Alex Pretti, a registered nurse, earlier today in Minneapolis,” adding: “We extend our condolences to Alex’s loved ones, colleagues and the community at large.”
According to someone from The Guardian reported was a colleague, Dimitri DrekonjaPretti worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “as a nurse supporting critically ill veterans” and exemplified “such a great attitude.”
Drekonja said he and Pretti would “talk among patients about their attempts to go on a mountain bike ride together. Now that will never happen again.”
A former student at the University of Minnesota, Pretti received his nursing degree license in 2021, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Pretti’s father, Michael Pretti, told the AP that his son protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement because “he cared deeply about people and was very angry about what was happening in Minneapolis and across the United States with ICE, just like millions of other people are angry.”
Crucial quote
“This is not a violent person,” said Jeanne Wiener, a neighbor who told The New York Times that Pretti often exchanged “pleasantries with neighbors.”
What did the authorities say about Pretti?
Although authorities have not formally identified Pretti, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the slain man was a U.S. citizen and had a “legal gun to carry” with a permit. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said a man approached federal officers while armed with a 9mm handgun and believed the man wanted to “cause maximum damage and slaughter law enforcement,” but Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the federal story “nonsense.” The man had no criminal background, according to O’Hara, who said he only had parking tickets on his criminal record.
Important background
Pretti became the second person this month to be shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, following the fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 7. Pretti, like Good, was shot multiple times by a federal agent who feared for his life, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Minneapolis authorities were unable to corroborate the federal account, with video footage from the scene showing officers repeatedly striking Pretti before he was shot.
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