“There was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers,” the witness stated.
A pediatrician who attempted to save the life of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis ICU nurse who was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents this past weekend, has alleged that agents denied Pretti medical care for several minutes after the shooting took place.
The witness’s version of events is detailed in a filing with a Minnesota-based federal court. The witness, whose name has been withheld in the document to protect their privacy, said that they saw Pretti “yelling at” immigration agents from their apartment beforehand, but that they “did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind.”
“From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers,” the witness statement said.
After federal agents shot Pretti, the witness indicated they “immediately put on [their] boots and coat, ran outside,” and approached the agents “who were near the victim.”
At first, the CBP agents wouldn’t let the witness, a licensed pediatrician, through to help Pretti, repeatedly demanding to see paperwork proving they were a health care worker.
“I insisted that the agents let me assess him,” the witness explained in their statement, noting that none of the federal agents surrounding Pretti were performing CPR. “Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him.”
After several moments, the agents finally allowed the pediatrician to assess Pretti, following a pat-down to ensure they weren’t carrying any weapons.
