Newly obtained footage shows Alex Pretti clashing with ICE agents weeks before he was killed
Newly released footage has shown Alex Pretti clashing with ICE agents nearly two weeks before he was fatally shot.
On 24 January, Pretti was shot dead by border patrol agents in Minnesota capital Minneapolis, becoming the second US citizen to be killed by federal law enforcement after Renee Good was fatally shot.
Now, in the latest update in the case, a two-minute clip showing the 37-year-old clashing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city on 13 January has been released.
The clip, which has been published by digital news outlet The News Movement, shows officers forcing Pretti to the ground during a tense confrontation at a protest. While it's unclear what happened in the moments prior, the video shows Pretti yelling at agents and kicking the taillight of a vehicle.
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An agent then exits the car and tackles him to the ground as other officers crowd around. Pretti's gun can be seen after his coat is forcibly removed, however, the ICU nurse did not reach for it during the altercation.
A relative of Pretti's has since confirmed to CNN that it is him in the video.
Good and Pretti's deaths follow weeks of unrest in Minneapolis, as people protest against the Trump administration's decision to increase ICE raids in the city.
Footage from the moments leading up to Pretti's killing on 24 January quickly went viral on the internet, with the ICU nurse seen placing himself between federal agents and a woman they were pepper-spraying.
The agents then tackle Pretti to the ground, remove a holstered gun which the registered firearms holder was carrying before fatally shooting him as he lay on the ground.
In response to the killings, Donald Trump has said that ICE agents have been directed to 'de-escalate a little bit' after the two shootings, telling Fox News on Tuesday: "Bottom line, it was terrible. Both of them were terrible."
His comments are a marked departure from the administration's previous comments on the killings, which saw United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem say agents had been acting in self-defence in both situations and accused both of Good and Pretti of 'domestic terrorism'.
Meanwhile, the two border patrol officers involved in the shooting of Pretti have been placed on leave.
The move was confirmed by Scott Sweetow, a former special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who said it was due to 'protection'.
Topics: US News, Politics, Donald Trump
Brenna Cooper