By Walker Orenstein | The Minnesota Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS — Bystanders captured on video the moments leading up to when federal agents fatally shot Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 and the immediate aftermath.
The videos show several agents wrestling with Pretti on the ground moments before the shooting.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” as officers attempted to disarm him.
DHS said “medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
DHS said they recovered a gun and two ammunition magazines.
At a news conference, Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino said Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage to agents.”
Here’s what is visible from three videos analyzed by the Minnesota Star Tribune:
One bystander video nearly three minutes in length starts as two people stand near a federal agent who is standing next to an open vehicle door. Whistles and car horns blare.
As the person taking the video walks towards the interaction, a man who appears to be Pretti comes into frame. One hand is holding a cellphone horizontally.
Pretti is not near the agents, and is waving at other vehicles with a motion that typically is meant to encourage people to drive down the street.
Pretti shouts “hey” and walks towards an agent and another person in the road, who is wearing a brown jacket. He is still holding the phone as the agent quickly walks up to the other bystander.
The camera points toward the ground briefly. Another video of the moment shows that agent shoving the person in the brown jacket away from the road.
Both videos capture what happens next: Pretti has his arm around the person who was interacting with the agent. He leads that person away from the agent towards a snowbank on the side of the road.
An agent shoves the other person in road — who is wearing a gray jacket with an orange backpack — and that person falls into the snowbank.
Pretti turns around and gets between the agent and the person with the orange backpack. The agent sprays Pretti with an orange chemical irritant as Pretti holds one hand above his head in the air and turns away.
The agent pulls down Pretti’s arm and continues to spray him as Pretti has his back turned and stumbles over the person on the ground.
Agents spray Pretti again and pull him off the person on the ground. The agents wrestle Pretti to the ground. Pretti does not appear to have brandished a weapon.
A third bystander video taken from the other side of the street begins as at least two federal immigration agents are grappling with Pretti, who is standing. Others quickly swarm in, wrestling him to the ground where he is on his knees and propped up on his elbows. An agent kicks away a cylindrical object that clattered onto the street.
Shortly before the shooting, at least five are engaged with Pretti.
Pretti has knees on the ground when an agent who is standing swings his arm three times at the man.
Before the shooting, an agent in a gray jacket leans over the top of Pretti and pulls out of the scrum with a gun in one hand. It’s unclear whose firearm it is, but it resembles the weapon DHS said they recovered from Pretti.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the 37-year-old was a U.S. citizen and a “lawful gun owner” with a permit.
That agent quickly moves away from the scene as shots are fired.
When the first shot rings out, Pretti appears to be on his knees, with his butt on the ground, his torso straight and his arms at least somewhat elevated. It’s unclear how his arms got into that position, whether he is holding anything or whether agents are grabbing his arms.
Pretti then rotates sharply from gunfire, and falls to the ground as more shots ring out and agents back away.
At least one agent continues firing his gun at Pretti as he appears to be limp and laying on his back. His legs and feet are visible on video but the rest of his body is obscured by agents and vehicles.
A woman in a pink jacket appears to be filming the struggle from the other side.
In the video taken from her vantage point, an agent wearing a black hat standing above the scrum, who is not on the ground engaging with Pretti, draws a handgun. The agent is behind Pretti, who has his backed turned to the agent and is on his knees.
When the first gunshot sounds, that agent has moved slightly to Pretti’s side. Agents begin moving away from Pretti. When the next bullet is fired, Pretti is on one knee with one arm pointing at the ground and another elevated.
He quickly falls towards the ground. Nine more shots can be heard. Some of them are fired as Pretti lays on his back.
The woman and bystanders scream as the man lays limp on the ground with agents standing over him. About 25 seconds pass before an agent walks back to Pretti and kneels over him. Several others join.
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