Sister of Slain ICU Nurse Condemns White House 'Disgusting Lies' Following Minneapolis ICE Shooting
The grieving sister of Alex Pretti, the intensive care unit nurse who was fatally shot by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an operation in Minneapolis, has issued a powerful condemnation of what she describes as "disgusting lies" being propagated by senior White House officials about her brother's character and actions.
Family's Anguish Over Official Narrative
Micayla Pretti, speaking on behalf of her devastated family, expressed profound distress at the administration's portrayal of her brother following the tragic incident that occurred last Saturday. "When does this end? How many more innocent lives must be lost before we say enough?" she questioned emotionally. "Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching."
She painted a portrait of her brother as a dedicated healthcare professional whose life mission was helping others. "All Alex ever wanted was to help someone, anyone. Even in his very last moments on this Earth, he was simply trying to do just that," Micayla revealed. "He touched more lives than he probably ever realised."
Contradictory Accounts of the Fatal Incident
The shooting occurred during a federal immigration enforcement operation targeting an undocumented individual described by authorities as "wanted for violent assault." Multiple eyewitness accounts and video footage circulating online present a sequence of events markedly different from the initial federal narrative.
Verified footage shows Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen and nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, recording the encounter on his mobile phone. The videos depict him moving toward an agent after witnessing a woman being pushed to the ground, apparently attempting to assist her before being pepper-sprayed, restrained, and ultimately shot.
Contrary to early claims from federal authorities that Pretti approached officers with a handgun and resisted disarmament attempts, the visual evidence shows him holding only a mobile phone in the critical moments before agents subdued him. In several clips, officers can be seen restraining Pretti on the ground while an agent appears to remove a firearm from his waistband shortly before shots are fired.
Administration's Controversial Characterisation
Within hours of the killing, senior White House officials launched what the Pretti family considers a character assassination campaign. Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff, labelled the nurse "a domestic terrorist who tried to assassinate law enforcement," while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused him of perpetrating "the definition of domestic terrorism."
Noem asserted: "This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. That's the facts," despite mounting evidence contradicting this narrative.
Local Authorities Question Federal Version
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has publicly questioned the federal account, confirming that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and had no criminal record. No publicly released video shows him brandishing or threatening officers with a weapon at any point during the encounter.
The family's official statement vehemently disputes the administration's claims: "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 has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman, who was just pushed down by ICE, all while being pepper-sprayed."
Broader Context and Internal Disquiet
The fatal shooting occurred amid an intensified anti-immigration crackdown in Minneapolis overseen by Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who claimed before his subsequent demotion that Pretti confronted agents while armed and "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
Significantly, officials within the Department of Homeland Security have reportedly grown "increasingly uneasy and frustrated" with administration members for branding Pretti a terrorist and insisting he intended to harm agents, despite the publicly available evidence contradicting these assertions.
The incident has triggered widespread protests across the United States and comes as opinion polls indicate weakening voter support for President Trump's immigration policies. In response to the growing controversy, the administration announced it would send border-enforcement chief Tom Homan to Minnesota while reassigning Bovino to his usual posting in California.
As makeshift memorials continue to grow at the Minneapolis shooting site, the Pretti family's plea for truth resonates: "Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man." The discrepancy between official statements and visual evidence has raised serious questions about accountability and narrative control in high-profile law enforcement incidents.
