Two U.S. citizens are now dead at the hands of federal officers in Minneapolis in less than three weeks—and both of their families are calling the official government accounts outright lies.
The family of Renee Good, the mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7, released a statement responding to the execution of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse shot dead by federal officers on January 24. Their message: this has gone way too far.
WHAT’S GOING ON: “The events of this weekend in Minneapolis are terrifying, deeply disturbing, and heartbreaking — with yet another U.S. citizen losing their life while taking part in the time-honored and Constitutionally protected activity of being present to observe and peacefully advocate for their beliefs,” Good’s family said through their attorneys.
They didn’t mince words: “We call for a complete and immediate end to the ICE invasion of this beautiful American city.”
THE DETAILS: The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” before an agent “fired defensive shots.” But here’s the thing: video footage verified by The New York Times appears to tell a completely different story.
In the footage, Pretti is seen standing among protesters with both hands visible, holding his phone—not a gun—as agents pepper-sprayed the group. Several agents then approached and pinned him to the sidewalk. At no point in the video does Pretti appear to be holding or pulling a weapon.
Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan, weren’t having it: “We are heartbroken but also very angry… The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”
They added: “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
OF COURSE: This pattern should sound familiar. Federal officials claimed Good tried to “weaponize her vehicle” before she was shot—an account fiercely disputed by local officials and her family. Her death has since been officially ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Good’s family urged Americans to “trust their own eyes as they interpret the horrific video” of Pretti’s killing, adding that ICE activity in Minneapolis “has clearly gone too far and strayed far beyond its stated mission of removing criminal non-citizens from the country.”
WHY IT MATTERS: “ICE agents can leave Minneapolis. The residents of Minnesota cannot,” Good’s family stated.
Two American citizens. Two disputed government narratives. Two families calling federal agents liars—with video evidence backing them up. The question Good’s family is asking is the one every American should be asking: How many more people have to die?