The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Monday that the agency was reviewing officer body camera footage related to the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot while being apprehended by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis over the weekend.
“There is body camera footage from multiple angles which investigators are currently reviewing," a DHS official said in a statement to Scripps News.
When asked Monday if the body camera footage would be made public, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said "that's not something I've heard the president commit to." According to court filings, DHS is leading the investigation into Pretti's death, with assistance from the FBI and other federal agencies.
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Up to this point, multiple videos circulating online have shown various different angles of the shooting, which occurred as demonstrators were protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. Pretti, 37, was on hand apparently filming law enforcement activity, nearly one mile away from where Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration enforcement agent earlier this month.
Video footage from one bystander showed Pretti standing in the street recording federal officers with a cell phone. One agent can then be seen approaching another person and pushing them down onto the ground. At that point, Pretti jumps between the agent and the protester and is pepper sprayed in the face. Seconds later, several other officers jump in and attempt to apprehend Pretti and a scuffle ensues. Officers are then seen backing away from him after at least one shot was fired.
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Separate video captured by another bystander showed the same struggle ensue before four consecutive shots are heard.
The Department of Homeland Security said that Pretti approached agents with a firearm with two magazines and "violently resisted" when officers attempted to disarm him. Pretti's family has said he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm. However, the footage only shows Pretti holding what appears to be a cell phone in his hand.
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In a sworn declaration filed in federal court, a civilian witness described what they said they observed moments before a federal agent shot and killed Pretti. The witness said they never saw him reach for any weapon.
"I didn't see him with a gun," the witness stated. "They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times."
Relatives of Pretti described him as a dedicated intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration, who was compassionate for others and deeply upset over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in his city.
