Internal review contradicts White House narrative of Pretti's death
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A preliminary government review contradicts the Trump administration’s initial narrative of the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti last week in Minneapolis.
According to the preliminary assessment, Customs and Border Protection officers said Pretti resisted arrest before two officers shot him.
But the assessment makes no mention of Pretti attacking officers or threatening them with a weapon — as the administration first described the incident. It also appears to more closely match multiple bystander video and witness testimony of the incident.
The preliminary assessment of Pretti’s shooting, known as a death notification, was shared by congressional sources not authorized to speak publicly, and reviewed by NPR. It was based on body-worn camera footage and documentation from the agency, it said.
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The CBP assessment describes how officers were initially confronted by two women who were blowing whistles while they conducted an immigration enforcement operation.
“The [officer] pushed them both away and one of the females ran to a male, later identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a US citizen. The [officer] attempted to move the woman and Pretti out of the roadway. The woman and Pretti did not move,” the review states, adding that the officer then sprayed both with oleoresin capsicum spray, commonly known as pepper spray.
CBP officers attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted their efforts and a struggle ensued, according to the report.
During the struggle, an agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, the review states.
Approximately five seconds later, one agent discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and an officer also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti. After the shooting, an agent advised that he had Pretti's firearm in his possession, the review states.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was quick to describe Pretti’s actions as “domestic terrorism,” saying Pretti was “attacking” officers and “brandishing” a weapon before he was killed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described Pretti as a “would-be-assassin.”
— Ximena Bustillo, NPR
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