The sister of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old intensive care nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, has spoken out to defend his character against what she calls 'Ice lies'. Pretti was fatally shot on Saturday while filming federal agents during a surge of immigration enforcement operations in the city.
Administration officials initially claimed Pretti 'brandished' a gun and labelled him an 'agitator' and even a 'would-be assassin'. However, bystander videos show Pretti holding a phone, not a firearm, and that he had been disarmed before the first shots were fired. State officials confirmed he was licensed to carry the firearm.
Friends and family remember Pretti as kind, generous, and a good friend. Childhood friend Travis Vanden Heuvel said, 'The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Alex was his smile. He was someone who was always very happy and energetic, a very kind person.' Another friend, Rory Shefchek, described the shooting as 'an execution of a good man followed by an assassination of character'.
Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he sang in choir, was a boy scout, and participated in musicals and sports. He worked as a nurse at the Minneapolis VA medical centre, caring for American veterans. His parents described him as 'a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for'.
