Alex Pretti suffered broken rib during previous clash with feds: report
Slain Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti reportedly suffered a broken rib during an encounter with federal agents prior to his fatal shooting.
The 37-year-old victim had a run-in with ICE agents that turned violent a week before he was gunned down by Customs and Border Patrol officers on a city street Saturday, according to CNN.
Pretti reportedly said he was tackled by five agents during the earlier encounter, which appeared to have begun when Pretti stopped his car and began shouting and blowing a whistle at ICE officials he believed were chasing a family on foot.
One of the agents who detained Pretti allegedly leaned on the Veterans Affairs hospital worker, causing a rib to break before setting him free.
A source told CNN Pretti “thought he was going to die” during that confrontation.
Department of Homeland Security leaders earlier this year were said to have instructed ICE agents in Minnesota to keep records of “intel collection non-arrests.” CNN said federal agents were familiar with Pretti, though it’s not clear if that was a factor in him being shot multiple times.
Trump administration officials accused Pretti of engaging in “domestic terrorism” prior to his death.
Pretti’s family called that characterization a “reprehensible and disgusting” lie.
ICE and CBP’s lethal operations in Minnesota have drawn criticism at home and abroad.
Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have all spoken out about the violence in Minneapolis.
European soccer officials have suggested a boycott of the World Cup games being held in the U.S. beginning in June.
Trump border czar Tom Homan was tapped to take over operations in Minneapolis after Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino claimed without evidence that Pretti planned to “massacre” federal officers before he was killed. Bovino was expected to leave Minnesota on Tuesday.
The president said Tuesday that he wants to see “a very honorable and honest investigation.”
With News Wire Services