Trump calls Alex Pretti ‘crazed and out of control’ over new video of him clashing with ICE agents

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump branded Alex Pretti as an “agitator" and an "insurrectionist” after a new video showed him confronting federal agents days before he was fatally shot during an ICE operation.

The 37-year-old ICU nurse was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on January 24 on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trump administration defended the shooting by calling Pretti a "would-be assassin" who tried to "massacre law enforcement,” but locals, eyewitnesses, and his family condemned the government and also demanded a fair probe.

The president had earlier said that he wants “a very honorable and honest investigation” as well as noted that he’s “going to be watching over it.”

Trump claims Alex Pretti screamed and spat in the face of a 'very calm and under control' ICE officer

However, now Trump has said that Pretti’s “stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer.”

The commander-in-chief further claimed, "And then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces." 

"It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control," Trump claimed, before adding, "The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

Pretti family attorney says earlier altercation does not justify his killing

The Republican leader was referring to a January 13 video that showed Pretti shouting at federal immigration officers and hitting the back of their car. He also broke the taillight. Eventually, an officer got out of the vehicle as he pinned Pretti down while witnesses screamed “Stop! Stop!”

Steve Schleicher, the attorney for the Pretti family, said in a statement that the earlier alteration does not  justify “Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan. 24.”

“A week before Alex was gunned down in the street — despite posing no threat to anyone — he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,” the attorney claimed.

Alex Pretti's sister remembers him as someone who 'wanted to make a difference'

The ICU nurse's younger sister, Micayla, said in a statement that she’s heartbroken after hearing “disgusting lies” about her brother.

She also noted that Pretti “always wanted to make a difference in this world, and it's devastating that he won't be here to witness the impact he was making.”

“All Alex ever wanted was to help someone—anyone. Even in his very last moments on this earth, he was simply trying to do just that,” Micayla claimed, before adding, “I want to thank everyone who has reached out to my family and me, whether you knew Alex personally or not. The messages, posts, and overwhelming positivity shared about him truly reflect his character, work ethic, and passions.”