Alex Pretti’s parents speak out after son’s death, say they warned him not to engage with feds

"He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset," Michael Pretti, Alex's father, said. "He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others."

In recent conversations with their 37-year-old son, Pretti's parents had told him not to engage with federal officers. "We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically," Michael Pretti added, per CBS News. "And he said he knows that. He knew that."

Family members of Pretti said that he owned a handgun and that he had a permit to carry in the state of Minnesota, but had never known him to carry the firearm. The shooting came as ICE agents were conducting an operation to detain an illegal immigrant with a violent criminal history.

Video showed Pretti engaging with officers, who then wrestled him to the ground. In one angle of the shooting, officers were heard yelling, "He's got a gun," and the shots rang out.

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In the aftermath of the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security shared a picture of the gun that was recovered from Pretti and said in a statement, "At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming."

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"Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming," the statement added.