ICE's New Victim of Violence: An Unarmed Nurse with No Criminal Record
Tehran - BORNA - Hospital records identified the deceased as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Preti, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The Associated Press reported that Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, wrote on social media that he had contacted the White House following the shooting.
The man killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis was an unarmed nurse with no criminal record
Alex Jeffrey Preti, 37, who was killed by immigration agents during protests in Minneapolis.
Jeffrey Preti, 37, was a nature lover who enjoyed adventures with his beloved dog, "Joel." He worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and had been participating in protests since the January 7 killing of Rene Gode by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
The young man's father said: "My son cared deeply about people and was intensely upset by what was happening in Minneapolis and across America at the hands of ICE forces. He was very distressed that children were being snatched and people were being grabbed off the streets by immigration agents, calling it a horrific act. He cared for people, knew these conditions were wrong, and that is why he joined the protests."
Jeffrey Preti was a 37-year-old U.S. citizen born in Illinois. Like Rene Gode, court records showed he had no criminal history, and his family stated he never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a few traffic tickets.
Preti's father added: "We had a discussion with him about two weeks ago about protesting but not getting involved—basically not doing anything stupid—and he said he knew that. He understood it."
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that the man killed in the Minneapolis shooting by a Border Patrol agent was armed. However, in footage released by bystanders, the young man is seen holding only a phone, with no clear sign of a weapon in his hand.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed the man was shot after "approaching" Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Authorities did not specify whether Preti had brandished the weapon in protest. In eyewitness videos of the shooting, Preti is seen with a mobile phone in hand, but none show him with a visible weapon.
Family members did mention that Preti owned a handgun and held a concealed carry permit in Minnesota, though they said they never knew him to carry it.
After seeing videos of senior Trump administration officials describing their son as a "domestic terrorist" who attacked the officers who shot him, Jeffrey Preti's parents issued a written statement describing themselves as heartbroken and angry.
"The disgusting lies the government has told about our son are reprehensible and loathsome," the family's statement read.
They added that videos show Alex Preti was not holding a gun when federal agents confronted him; instead, he was holding his phone in one hand and using the other to protect a woman who had been pepper-sprayed.
They also said: "Please tell the truth about our son. He was a good man."
Meanwhile, Alex Preti’s ex-wife told the Associated Press that Alex was a Democratic voter who had participated in the wave of street protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
She added that while her former husband might shout at law enforcement during a protest, she had never seen him engage in physical confrontation.
She further noted that her ex-husband obtained a concealed carry permit about three years ago, and when they separated, Preti owned at least one semi-automatic handgun.
Neighbors of the deceased young man also confirmed they knew he owned a weapon but were surprised to hear reports from officials about him carrying it in the street.
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