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Alex Pretti had been injured in a scuffle with federal agents in Minneapolis just one week before he was shot dead, it has emerged.
Pretti, 37, was left with a broken rib after being tackled by a group of officers during a protest against Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown, a source told CNN.
The alleged assault occurred after Pretti stopped his car after seeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers chasing a family on foot, the insider said.
Pretti allegedly began shouting and blowing a whistle, and was then tackled to the ground by five agents. The source claimed one officer leaned on his back, causing his ribs to break.
The ICU nurse, who allegedly ‘thought he was going to die’, was reportedly released at the scene – but allegedly remained on federal agents’ radar.
Agents deployed in Minneapolis were instructed earlier this month to ‘capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors,’ according to documents obtained by the outlet.
Federal officers are understood to have kept documented details about Pretti, although it is unclear when they first started collecting information on him.
He was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Alex Pretti, 37, was left with a broken rib after being tackled by a group of federal officers during a protest roughly one week before he was shot dead, a source told CNN
Officers are seen kneeling next to Pretti just moments after he was shot dead on Saturday
Multiple bystander videos show a Border Patrol agent shooting and killing Pretti after a roughly 30-second scuffle around 9am Saturday.
The videos appear to contradict statements by DHS, which said the shots were fired ‘defensively’ against Pretti as he ‘approached’ them with a gun.
In the videos, Pretti is seen with only a phone in his hand. None of the footage appears to show him with a weapon.
During the scuffle, agents discovered that he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and they opened fire with several shots.
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order banning the Trump administration from ‘destroying or altering evidence’ related to the death of Pretti.
It has not been confirmed whether Pretti’s gun fired any shots.
Department of Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem was quick to label Pretti a domestic terrorist, a title that Trump himself has not said.
Trump then tapped Border Czar Tom Homan to take over the Minnesota operation from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
Pretti could be seen in the street filming with his phone on Saturday while a small group confronts a federal agent. His other hand appeared to be empty
This is the Sig Sauer P320 semi-automatic gun that authorities say Alex Pretti was carrying at the time of the fatal shooting
Dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown, ICE and CBP has increased since Pretti was shot dead. Noem has also seen a dramatic loss of confidence, the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll revealed.
Democrats in Congress have already begun circulating an impeachment resolution against Noem with more than 120 signatures. But Trump has insisted Noem is not stepping down and issued a defiant statement standing by her.
‘I think she’s doing a very good job,’ the President told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday.
‘The border is totally secure … we had a border that we inherited where millions of people were coming through, now we have a border where no one is coming through.’
But Trump grilled Noem over her remarks about Pretti at a meeting attended by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in the Oval Office late on Sunday.
The president was reportedly frustrated with Noem after she called the ICU nurse a ‘domestic terrorist’.
Noem has since been dispatched to secure the Southern Border, away from the administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the interior.
In another possible sign of de-escalation, Mayor Jacob Frey announced, without giving details, that ‘some federal agents’ will be leaving the Minnesota city.
Frey also revealed that he planned to meet with Homan on Tuesday.
Department of Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem, pictured Saturday, was quick to label Pretti a domestic terrorist
Trump spoke with Frey and Democratic Governor Tim Walz on the phone Monday, having what he described as ‘great calls‘.
‘We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,’ the president wrote in a social media post. Walz, in a statement, said the call was ‘productive’ and that impartial investigations into the shootings were needed.
Trump said his administration was looking for ‘any and all’ criminals the state has in their custody. Walz said the state Department of Corrections honors federal requests for people in its custody.
Walz’s office also said Tuesday that the Democratic governor met with Homan and called for impartial investigations into the shootings involving federal officers. They agreed on the need to continue to talk, according to the governor.
Immigration officers were still active Tuesday across the Twin Cities region, and it is unclear if officials have changed tactics after the shift in tone from the White House.
A federal judge in Minneapolis heard arguments on Monday about whether the deployment of federal officers violates the state of Minnesota’s sovereignty.
In a separate hearing, a judge was considering a request to force federal officials to preserve evidence in the killing of Pretti, saying she would rule quickly.
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons has also been ordered to appear in a Minnesota federal court on Friday over a case of a man challenging his detention by the agency.
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