The fatal shooting of Pretti has ignited another wave of outrage from officials and residents, with starkly different narratives at play.
Newly revealed footage from multiple bystanders and officers is now being examined to understand what happened in the moments before and after the shooting.
Much of the focus has been on whether Pretti was armed when federal agents confronted him.
However, attention has also shifted to a brief audio exchange captured after the gunfire ended – the words are hard to make out in real time but become clearer when the sound is isolated and slowed.
Conflicting accounts
Top administration officials have made claims about the encounter that are contradicted by bystander video and witness testimony.
Officials provided differing accounts of Pretti’s death after an altercation with federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
President Trump took to Truth Social, his social media platform, less than two hours after federal agents shot dead Pretti, claiming the man killed was armed.
He said: “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!) and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE officers?”
The President alleged local leaders had ‘called off’ police, and that federal agents were forced to protect themselves.
Trump added that federal officers were present in Minnesota to fight corruption, adding: “We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.
“We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti ‘reacted violently’ when approached by law enforcement officers.
However, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the claims as ‘nonsense,’ blaming federal officers deployed to the city for ‘sowing chaos and violence.’
Alex Petti’s family break silence
Pretti’s family has broken their silence and strongly condemned how federal officials have described their son’s death.
In a statement, they said: “We do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked… he has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down.”