Alex Pretti was among 50 anti-ICE protesters who confronted Border Patrol before Minneapolis shooting

MINNEAPOLIS — ICU nurse Alex Pretti was part of an ad-hoc group of local protesters who turned out to confront Border Patrol agents as they arrested a illegal migrant in Minneapolis before he was gunned down Saturday, activists and residents said.

“It was quiet. It was Saturday, and people weren’t working. Word got around that a bunch of ICE agents had shown up and were making rounds, so folks mobilized,” a woman named Blair in a coffee shop around the corner before the shooting told The Post.

“It wasn’t that many people — maybe 50 altogether, which sounds like a lot, but it isn’t.

“At about 8:30 I heard a bunch of gunshots, and we knew something bad had happened. The next thing we knew, ambulances showed up,” she added.

During the barrage of gunshots, Pretti, 37, was tackled and shot dead by federal agents.

Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Saturday. US Department of Veterans Affairs/AFP via Getty Images

Pretti — who treated the most ill veterans at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System — was a registered Democratic voter who had taken to the streets before during the wave of protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, which happened close to his home, according to his ex-wife.

He was someone who might shout at law enforcement officers at a protest, she told the Associated Press but added that she had never known him to by physically confrontational.In recent months, the nurse was known as a regular in the area around the New American Development Center, outside which he was killed, an employee, Emma, told The Post.”For whatever reason, this is the area ICE chooses to come, so I would see him sometimes. He was a nice guy. He would talk about how he wanted to protect his community,” Emma said.

Footage showing the 60 seconds before Pretti was fatally shot appears to contradict parts of the official narrative from the Department of Homeland Security about his death.

Video appears to show Pretti filming the scene on his phone as he walks toward the federal agents during Saturday’s confrontation in south Minneapolis.

Suddenly, one agent seems to shove two protesters from one side of the street to the other, toward a white SUV.

The agent again pushes one of the protesters, who falls to the ground close to the SUV, at which point, Pretti tries to step in between the agent and the female protester on the ground.

Footage shows the agent squirting pepper spray toward Pretti’s face — believed to be the same agent who later shot him, according to videos.

Pretti tries to shield his face with one hand while continuing to film with the other, and at the same time, trying to help the woman on the ground up.

Video appears to contradict parts of the official narrative on Pretti’s death.

Up to seven agents then grab Pretti and pin him to the ground, before an eighth agent walks over, the clip shows.

One agent in a gray coat appears to pull a gun from Pretti’s waistband and walking away with the weapon, according to the footage.

Another agent then takes out his firearm and points it at Pretti’s back before opening fire, the video shows.

At least 10 shots appear to have been fired in the space of five seconds.

Authorities believe that an errant shot from Pretti’s pistol — after it was removed from him — may have caused agents to open fire.

But immediately after the shooting, the DHS claimed that an agent fired “defensive shots” after Pretti approached Border Patrol agents brandishing a handgun.

Officials claimed Pretti intended to “massacre” law enforcement or “inflict maximum damage,” when federal agents shot him.

They also stated that he “reacted violently” during attempts to disarm him, and that the agent who shot Pretti did so out of fear for their life and the lives of their fellow officers.

Pretti was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record, and had a permit to carry a firearm in public, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

He got his permit to carry a concealed firearm about three years ago, Pretti’s ex wife said.

She said Pretti owned at least one semiautomatic handgun at the time of their separation.

With Post wires