Video Appears to Show Alex Pretti Confronting Federal Immigrant Officers 2 Weeks Before His Fatal Shooting.
A disturbing video surfaced on Wednesday showing Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents nearly two weeks ago, confronting federal immigration officers on a Minneapolis street. The video, which appears to have been recorded on January 13, shows Pretti engaging in a heated exchange with the agents alongside other protesters.
The footage, obtained by Newsweek from the digital outlet The News Movement and independently reviewed using facial-recognition technology by BBC News, suggests that Pretti was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents just days before his fatal shooting on January 24.
In the video, Pretti is seen kicking the taillight of an SUV belonging to the federal agents as they prepare to leave the scene. The vehicle then stops, and officers force Pretti to the ground. Chemical irritants are deployed during the confrontation, while bystanders shout, honk car horns, and record the scene on their phones.
According to Steve Schleicher, an attorney for Pretti's family, "Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex's killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24."
A disturbing video surfaced on Wednesday showing Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents nearly two weeks ago, confronting federal immigration officers on a Minneapolis street. The video, which appears to have been recorded on January 13, shows Pretti engaging in a heated exchange with the agents alongside other protesters.
The footage, obtained by Newsweek from the digital outlet The News Movement and independently reviewed using facial-recognition technology by BBC News, suggests that Pretti was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents just days before his fatal shooting on January 24.
In the video, Pretti is seen kicking the taillight of an SUV belonging to the federal agents as they prepare to leave the scene. The vehicle then stops, and officers force Pretti to the ground. Chemical irritants are deployed during the confrontation, while bystanders shout, honk car horns, and record the scene on their phones.
According to Steve Schleicher, an attorney for Pretti's family, "Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex's killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24."
... i mean i'm not surprised or anything but it just feels like another example of how things are escalating with all these protests and immigration issues. I was in high school when alex pretti was a kid, and now he's gone too soon. 2 weeks before he got shot, he's already having this confrontation with the cops... it's crazy to think what could've been different if they hadn't reacted like that. ICE agents using chemical irritants? That's just insane 
. it looks like pretti was just standing up for himself and others against these overzealous officers 
. newsweek & bbc news are just trying to spin this as if pretti was the aggressor, but it's clear he was defending his friends 
. what really is scary is that there were chemical irritants deployed - that's some pretty heavy stuff 
. and the fact that pretti got killed by these guys days later is just another example of how biased our justice system can be 
. I'm not saying the video is great or anything, but let's not forget the bigger picture here...
. why rnt these ppl human beings? 2 weeks prior to his death he's just tryna have a convo, not some violent agitator 
also what's going on with facial recognition tech being used by bbc news... can we get that info pls? 
seeing a group of people in black suits just mugging someone on the street... 
no wonder he lost his cool. 
and now we're finding out this happened 2 wks before... just another example of what's gonna happen when ppl get caught between immigration policies & community resistance 
and the video shows him being super aggressive and stuff... it's crazy to think that could've led to his death just days later. 
i'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... RIP alex pretti btw 
The fact that they deployed chemical irritants and forced him to the ground is just heartbreaking. Alex seemed like such an angry man, but who deserves to die? 
.
we gotta learn to manage our feelings and reactions, 'specially when things are gonna get hairy. 
... it's just not right 
like, you gotta wonder what was really going down that day. seems legit that pretti was being super aggressive towards the cops and then BAM! gets taken out by ICE just days later... it's too suspicious if u ask me 
I'm literally shaking just watching that video... it looks like such a crazy and intense situation. I can see why his family is saying that nothing justified his death 
And now we're left with so many unanswered questions and a whole lot of anger and frustration towards the system 
.
. How do we know what actually happened leading up to his shooting, and how can we trust that justice will be served?