Fox's Peter Doocy asks Kristi Noem was it 'protocol to use deadly force' if Alex Pretti was disarmed

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday, January 25, over the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, questioning whether federal officers followed protocol after video appeared to show Pretti had been disarmed before shots were fired.

Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday by a Border Patrol officer. Appearing on 'The Sunday Briefing', Noem was asked about her claim that Pretti intended to “kill law enforcement” and that agents “fired defensive shots” to protect themselves.

Widely circulated videos appeared to show no evidence that Pretti was “brandishing” a weapon before he was shot multiple times.

Peter Doocy presses Kristi Noem on claims of intent and DHS protocol

Peter Doocy directly asked Kristi Noem about her assertion that Alex Pretti arrived with lethal intent. 

“So, you said last night, ‘It looks like a situation where an individual arrived on the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,’” Doocy said. “Did he say, ‘I’m gonna kill you,’ or did he leave a note? How do you know that was his intent?”

Noem pointed to the ongoing investigation and the officers’ account of the encounter.

“Part of this investigation will be hearing from those agents and officers and people on the ground,” Noem answered.

“But we do know that he came to that scene and impeded a law enforcement operation, which is against federal law. It’s a felony. When he did that, interacting with those agents when they tried to get him to disengage, he became aggressive and resisted them throughout that process. These officers used their training, followed their protocols, and were in fear for their lives and the people around them,” she added. 

Doocy then asked about the secretary’s repeated use of the word “protocol,” citing video footage that appeared to contradict her account.

“You mentioned the protocol — there is an angle of video that we’ve been playing all morning where it shows an officer removing a weapon either from Alex Pretti’s waistband or a holster, and he walks away with the weapon before officers start shooting,” Doocy said. “It appears that Alex Pretti was disarmed. If he was disarmed, is it the protocol to use deadly force?”

Noem did not directly address Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy regarding the use of lethal force against a disarmed individual.

“And that’s all part of this investigation,” the secretary said. “Every video will be analyzed. Everything will be looked at. And that’s part of the answer, is that I can’t speak to every single thing that those officers thought,” Noem added. “But this happened in seconds. They clearly feared for their lives and took action to defend themselves and the people around them.”

Alex Pretti's family responds as Kristi Noem expresses sympathy

Alex Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, responded publicly after the shooting. They said they were “heartbroken but also very angry,” and described the official narrative as “sickening lies.”

“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital,” the couple wrote in a statement.

Noem said she sympathized with the family. “I’m grieved for them. I truly am. I can’t even imagine losing a child,” she expressed on Sunday.

But she also defended law enforcement and warned against interference with federal operations.

“We can’t have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID and confronting law enforcement like that is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold,” she noted.

Noem concluded by reaffirming her support for the federal officers involved in the incident and stressing the importance of the investigation moving forward.

“I think everybody can learn from this situation. I’m grateful for law enforcement that put their lives on the line every day to go out there on the streets and try to bring criminals to justice and protect the public, and we’ll continue to make sure the right thing is done, this investigation is completed, and that we continue to go forward, and we enforce the law and apply it equally to everybody in the country,” she said.