The woman famously captured on camera filming the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has publicly criticised federal investigators for failing to contact her about the incident. Stella Carlson, a children's entertainer widely known online as the 'pink coat lady,' gave her first interview about the traumatic events she witnessed at approximately 9am last Saturday, speaking exclusively to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday.
Federal Investigation Under Fire
Carlson revealed that federal agents have made no attempt to obtain her version of events surrounding the death of the 37-year-old nurse. She interpreted this silence as a deliberate strategy of self-protection rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. "Their silence tells me that they're protecting themselves and they don't care about the truth of what happened," Carlson stated emphatically. "They're looking for their way to create the truth that protects them and allows them to move forward."
This experience has completely eroded her confidence in the federal investigation into Pretti's death. While expressing faith in local Minnesota government representatives who she believes are "trying to make sure to protect us and investigate it thoroughly," Carlson accused federal authorities of actively obstructing justice. "But [the federal government] is trying to block that from happening," she claimed. "They wouldn't even let the investigative team come to the crime scene."
Contradicting Official Accounts
Federal officials initially asserted that Pretti was brandishing a weapon when Border Patrol agents fired up to ten shots at him. Carlson's eyewitness account directly challenges this narrative. She described seeing Pretti attempting to direct traffic and protect another woman during what appeared to be an immigration raid in the city.
"In the moment, I saw one of my community members in the street alone, directing traffic and nobody else was around," Carlson recalled. She explained her decision to film Pretti as he documented ICE agents' activities: "I was like 'OK, Alex is filming these ICE agents and the traffic, I'm going to film him.' So I was his backup is how I felt about it in my risk assessment." Carlson confirmed she had no prior acquaintance with Pretti before the shooting.
A Harrowing Sequence of Events
Carlson provided a detailed chronology of the incident's escalation. She described how Border Patrol agents began pursuing Pretti after they knocked another woman to the ground and he attempted to help her stand up. "Alex made that choice to be kind," Carlson noted, suggesting the agents interpreted his actions as interference.
The violence unfolded with shocking speed. "Before you knew it, 'pow, pow pow' and I saw Alex on the ground," she recounted. "I mean, I watched him die." Carlson became emotional as she described the traumatic memory: "I remember him arching his back and his head rolling back - it was so fast moving, but not for me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And I knew that he was gone because I watched it."
Post-Shooting Conduct Criticised
Carlson offered disturbing observations about agents' behaviour after the shooting. "And then they came over to perform some type of medical aid by ripping his clothes open with scissors and then maneuvering his body around like a rag doll - only to discover that it could be that they wanted to count the number of bullet holes, to see [what] they got, like he's a deer."
She recalled shouting at Border Patrol agents: "Why would you jostle his body around like that?" Carlson accused the agents of treating Pretti's deceased body disrespectfully, "like they were in a video game."
Documented Evidence and Legal Proceedings
Carlson has previously documented her experience in a sworn affidavit for an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the Trump administration. In this affidavit, she described hearing whistles outside her home around 8.50am on Saturday, a signal indicating Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting operations nearby.
"I decided to check it out on my way to work. I've been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors," she explained. Upon arriving at the scene, Carlson observed "the caravan of vehicles of ICE agents... were starting to kind of move in and block us in."
Detailed Account of Confrontation
In her affidavit, Carlson described seeing Pretti filming ICE agents when one agent pushed a protester to the ground. "Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over," she wrote. "The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him."
She documented Pretti's attempt to assist the woman: "The ICE agents just kept spraying" with such intensity that Carlson could feel pepper spray affecting her own eyes. According to her account, "The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them - he wasn't even turned toward them. It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground."
The situation escalated rapidly: "Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him."
Video Evidence and Official Reports
Carlson's footage appears to support her version of events, showing multiple Department of Homeland Security agents struggling to restrain Pretti face-down on the pavement. The video captures an officer in a gray jacket and pink-rimmed baseball cap reaching into Pretti's waistband and retrieving a handgun before moving away from the scene.
Moments later, another agent draws his firearm and fires directly into Pretti's back, causing him to collapse. Additional shots ring out as agents retreat into the road, with approximately ten shots fired in total while Pretti lies motionless.
Government Report Findings
A newly-filed government report sent to Congress on Tuesday presents a different perspective. The Customs and Border Patrol's Office of Professional Responsibility conducted an analysis based on body-worn camera footage and agency documentation.
The report states that CBP agents encountered several protesters "yelling and blowing whistles" while blocking the roadway at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. After "several verbal requests" for protesters to desist, CBP claims two women confronted agents while blowing whistles and refused orders to leave the roadway.
According to the report, the women were "pushed away" and one ran to Pretti, with both again refusing to vacate the roadways. An officer then deployed pepper spray while attempting to arrest Pretti. "CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel's efforts and a struggle ensued," the document claims.
"During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, 'He's got a gun!' multiple times," the report continues. "Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti."
The report notes that an agent took possession of Pretti's gun and secured it shortly after the shooting, though it acknowledges there was "no indication that Pretti took it out" despite an officer's shouted warning about the weapon.
Carlson remains adamant in her contradiction of official accounts: "The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground." Her testimony continues to raise serious questions about transparency and accountability in federal law enforcement operations.
