Reports concerning the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Preti in Minneapolis created a stir over the weekend. President Trump’s administration accused him of aggressively resisting arrest, while his family remembered him as a “kind-hearted person.”
Preti, an ICU nurse with the Veterans Affairs, is the second person shot dead in Minneapolis this month. Homeland Security Attorney Kristi Noem stated that Preti was armed and “violently resisted” arrest, prompting federal agents to fire in what they claimed was a fear for their safety.
Video footage of the incident appears to show agents disarming Preti shortly before the shooting. It indicates he had a brief altercation with an agent while attempting to assist another protester being pursued by law enforcement.
A federal judge swiftly intervened, blocking the Trump administration from destroying or tampering with any evidence linked to the incident.
The decision followed a lawsuit filed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation to ensure evidence in the case is preserved. This legal action, addressing U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, lists various federal agencies and Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants.
Judge Eric Tostrad, in granting the preliminary injunction, emphasized that federal agents couldn’t suppress evidence from the shooting scene or any evidence in their sole possession that had previously been inaccessible to state authorities.
A public hearing regarding the order is set for Monday.
Preti’s parents expressed their “heartbreak and extreme anger” over his death, condemning the narrative presented by law enforcement as “disgusting lies.” They described their son as someone who “cared deeply” for his loved ones and the veterans he treated at Virginia State Hospital.
They insisted that, at the time of the shooting, Alex was unarmed, holding only a cell phone in his right hand and raising his left hand in defense of a woman being restrained and pepper-sprayed by ICE officials.
In contrast, President Trump maintained that Preti was armed with two spare magazines during the incident. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller characterized Preti as a “candidate assassin” and referred to him as a “domestic terrorist,” suggesting he had attempted to attack federal agents.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called for a “full, fair and transparent investigation” into the shooting. He shared a sentiment of deep sadness and anger regarding Preti’s death, criticizing ICE’s actions in Minnesota as an “unlawful and unconstitutional occupation.”
