Alex Pretti’s parents confirmed he was the man involved in the Jan. 24 shooting
The man who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis has been identified.
Alex Pretti was the individual killed in the shooting that involved officers with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday, Jan. 24, his family confirmed, according to the Associated Press. He was 37.
The Minnesota Star Tribune also ID’ed the individual as Pretti, an ICU nurse, citing two people familiar with the incident, who spoke to the publication on the condition of anonymity.
According to Pretti’s nursing license, obtained by PEOPLE, he had been a registered nurse since January 2021. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
At a press conference after the shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that, to his knowledge, Pretti’s only previous interaction with law enforcement was for parking tickets. He added that Pretti was a “lawful gun owner” with a permit.
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At around 9:00 a.m. local time on Jan. 24, “DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault,” DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told PEOPLE in a statement.
McLaughlin claimed that the man, now ID’ed as Pretti, “approached” U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, saying an agent then fired “defensive shots.”
“Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject, but was pronounced dead at the scene,” McLaughlin continued.
According to the DHS assistant secretary, “The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID.”
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At least 200 protesters arrived near the scene of the shooting soon after, The Associated Press reported, leading to confrontations between federal law enforcement and locals.
During the Jan. 24 press conference, O’Hara said preliminary details about the incident suggested that there was “more than one law enforcement officer involved in the discharge.”
He also pointed to “public video that shows several law enforcement officers in a scuffle with someone.”
When questioned about the DHS’ account of the incident, O’Hara said, “The video speaks for itself.”
