Alex Preti met ICE days before his death
News Movement discovered footage taken from the ground in Minneapolis that showed Alex Preti days before he was shot and killed.
Less than two weeks before he was shot and killed by an immigration officer, a new video of Alex Preti being involved in a violent confrontation with federal agents has gone viral.
On January 24, Border Patrol and Customs agents shot and killed Preti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, during an immigration raid in a neighborhood just south of downtown Minneapolis. Preti lived in the city and worked at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center.
Video of the earlier encounter, recorded on Jan. 13, shows Preti yelling at the Ford SUV. As the car starts to move off, Preeti kicks one of the rear taillights, breaking it.
The vehicle then stopped and a federal agent jumped out of the back seat. The policeman lunged towards Preeti and tackled him. Other officers soon join the melee. The officers eventually let Preeti go and she walked away.
The footage does not include the moments leading up to the altercation.
Pretty Family representative. He says he was injured in the Jan. 13 collision.
A representative for the Preti family reportedly told CBS News that the family was aware of the Jan. 13 incident and that Preti was injured during the encounter but did not receive medical treatment.
USA TODAY could not reach the family for comment.
The DHS report does not mention that Preti brandished a gun.
Preti was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection agents on January 24, according to a copy of the Department of Homeland Security’s internal investigation report obtained by USA TODAY.
The preliminary review, conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was based on body-worn camera footage and agency documents. Officers opened fire after the employee yelled “I have a gun” multiple times, according to the investigative report. The name of the agent involved in the shooting was not released.
Bystander video and witness testimony presented in court do not show Preeti brandishing a weapon as she approaches officers.
The report does not mention that Preti brandished a firearm, despite Trump officials’ initial statements emphasizing firearms. In the hours after the shooting, senior Trump administration officials portrayed Preti as an aggressor, but footage from the scene contradicted that claim.
The shooting is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Contribution: Michael Loria, Jeanine Santucci, Reuters
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
