Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen, was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. Alex was an Intensive Care Unit nurse who worked with military veterans in the VA. He was wrestled to the ground by multiple agents and was shot multiple times after trying to assist someone. Alex was apparently legally carrying a registered firearm at the time of the encounter.
When one of these shootings occurs, you might think, “Oh no. Is there a video and do I want to see it?” Here, I’m glad that there was a video because it appears to show Alex on the ground and disarmed by agents shortly before he was shot. The video suggests that one of the agents said the word “gun” and then another agent responded by shooting Alex multiple times even though, in my view, Alex was prone, surrounded, already disarmed, and was not threatening anyone.
The immediate and reflexive administration response that Alex “was violently resisting arrest and agents acted in self-defense” is belied by the video as well as common sense. Alex was an ICU nurse with no criminal record who was initially brandishing a cell phone, not a weapon. At what point will ICE acknowledge that one of their agents made a lethal error in judgment? Such errors should be seen as inevitable when one inserts a large armed force into hundreds of emotionally charged interactions with everyday Americans.
Conservatives ordinarily trumpet the necessity of allowing citizens to legally carry a firearm. What happens when doing just that becomes an excuse for an immediate death sentence carried out by poorly trained ICE agents? If you change a couple facts, Alex might be regarded as a hero by the right.
ICE should leave Minneapolis immediately and an investigation should be held to determine responsibility for his killing. American citizens are being shot on our own streets by federal officers. These are incredibly dark times. A change of course is desperately needed.
What I feel most of all is sadness for Alex’s friends and family. He’s going to be a hard person to demonize, though some will try. “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital,” said his parents. “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.” Let his death not be in vain.
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Thank you for this balanced response to a horrific situation. We mourn the loss of a truly wonderful American citizen. I question the common use of phrases like “poorly trained ICE agents” though, as often ICE stresses the Border Control or other law enforcement experience of the killers. You accurately emphasize the context as adding to the danger that another such “error of judgement” will occur. I note that Noem of ICE has control of the context. I wonder when we will learn more about the actual instructions and training these “experienced” thugs are given from Noem and her ilk, who unconditionally approve without investigating?
The administration's response being "belied by the video as well as common sense" is a disturbingly accurate summary of where we're at, and his parents' response by contrast is beyond heartbreaking. Thank you for calling attention to this juxtaposition.