In connection with the tragic incident that occurred on January 24 during an immigration raid, the department sent a report to Congress on the results of a preliminary internal investigation, as reported by NBC News and Reuters.
The publication notes that the conclusions drawn in the report contradict statements made by officials in the Donald Trump administration. In particular, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claimed that the nurse allegedly attacked the agents with a weapon; however, this information is absent from the report.
According to the document, the agents demanded that Pretti and his companion leave the street, but he refused. After that, they used pepper spray and attempted to detain him, resulting in a struggle. The report states that shots were fired after one of the agents shouted, "He has a gun!" However, it has not been established who exactly fired the shots.
Federal immigration services and U.S. authorities have come under fire amid tightening immigration policies and the actions of their personnel.
In the past month, two people have been shot during raids in Minneapolis: 37-year-old Rene Good and Alex Pretti. These tragic events have sparked mass protests across the country.
After Pretti's death, the Department of Homeland Security stated that the nurse threatened federal agents with a gun. Although he did indeed have a weapon, social media users and journalists who analyzed video footage claim that during the conflict, he was holding only a phone.
