Eyewitness Account Challenges Official Narrative in Fatal ICE Shooting
A crucial eyewitness to the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has provided a bone-chilling sworn statement that directly contradicts official accounts of the incident. The 37-year-old veteran's care nurse was gunned down on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, January 24, in what marks the second such killing of an American citizen this month.
Contradictory Evidence Emerges
The witness, identified in online footage as "pink coat lady" and who has since gone into hiding, captured the entire incident on video. In her sworn affidavit submitted as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the Trump administration, she states unequivocally that Pretti was holding a mobile phone, not a firearm, when agents descended upon him.
"The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera," she wrote in the legal document. "He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground."
Detailed Sequence of Events
The eyewitness described hearing whistles being blown in her neighborhood at approximately 8:50am, a community warning system used to track ICE officials' movements. Investigating on her way to work, she observed Pretti filming agents who had thrown another protester to the ground.
She recounted: "Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him." Multiple videos corroborate this sequence, showing Pretti wearing a hat and sunglasses while holding his phone.
The witness described the pepper spray as so intense she could feel it burning her own eyes from her position nearby. She then detailed the fatal moments: "Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
Official Claims Disputed
Federal officials including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and senior border patrol representative Gregory Bovino have maintained that Pretti was shot because he was wielding a gun while approaching law enforcement. These claims have been presented without accompanying evidence.
Pretti's family has vehemently rejected these assertions, calling them "sickening lies" in an official statement. The eyewitness's account provides the first detailed counter-narrative from someone present at the scene.
Witness Safety Concerns
The woman expressed significant fear for her safety following the incident, writing: "I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front of me and I don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don't know what the agents will do when they find me."
She added concerns about other witnesses potentially being arrested and taken to the Whipple Building, expressing disgust at how ICE officials are treating community members. Her testimony raises serious questions about the use of force by federal agents and the transparency of official investigations into such incidents.
The shooting occurred amid ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement agencies and communities across the United States, with this case potentially setting important legal precedents regarding accountability and witness protection in similar situations.
