Alex Pretti's rib broken in previous encounter with federal agents: report
MINNEAPOLIS (TNND) — Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old man who was shot and killed by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent on Saturday, suffered a broken rib during a previous encounter with federal agents, according to a report.
Citing unnamed sources, CNN said the incident happened a week before Pretti's death.
"The earlier incident started when he stopped his car after observing ICE agents chasing what he described as a family on foot, and began shouting and blowing his whistle, according to a source who asked not to be named out of fear of retribution," CNN reported on Tuesday.
The media outlet also reported that Pretti had told the source "five agents tackled him and one leaned on his back," which allegedly led to the broken bone. CNN said the agents released him at the scene.
Pretti was an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. His family previously told The Associated Press he was deeply troubled by federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti was fatally shot after he approached CBP officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines. Officials did not say whether the weapon was brandished.
The officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.
"The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted," DHS wrote on X.
"Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene," DHS added.
Gov. Tim Walz criticized DHS for sharing the information, as well as a photo of a gun, on social media without a more thorough investigation. He said the information was unrelated to the deadly shooting.
"It's nonsense, people," he said. "It's nonsense and it's lies."
