The grieving family of a Minneapolis nurse, fatally shot by the Department of Homeland Security, has fiercely criticized the Trump administration, condemning the agents involved as “murdering and cowardly thugs” in a powerful statement.

Just hours after the tragic death of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, his family expressed their outrage, stating: “The vile lies propagated about our son by the administration are both reprehensible and disgusting.”

They emphasized: “Alex was unarmed when confronted by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE agents.”

“He was holding his phone in his right hand, with his empty left hand raised above his head, attempting to protect a woman whom ICE had just knocked down, all while being subjected to pepper spray,” they added.

The family implored: “Please help us reveal the truth about our son. He was a good man.”

While the family accused ICE of the shooting, it was actually carried out by officers from the Department for Homeland Security (DHS).

On Saturday evening, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed claims Pretti ‘brandished’ a weapon at her agents before his shooting.

But footage taken of the killing appears to dispute her claims.

One agent was seen removing what appeared to be Pretti’s legally-owned handgun from his waistband.

The family of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the Minneapolis intensive care nurse fatally shot by a federal immigration officer, issued a searing statement accusing the Trump administration of spreading ‘sickening lies’

The Pretti family demanded the public see the video evidence they say makes it clear that their son was holding a cellphone and not a gun when he was attacked and killed

Earlier on, Pretti could be seen holding a shiny object aloft while scuffling with an officer, moments after he was pepper-sprayed.

It is unclear what that object was. He had been recording with his phone in one hand before the confrontation erupted.

His other hand appeared to be free. The agent he was tussling with did not yell ‘gun’ at the sight of that object or recoil. 

Pretti, who worked as an intensive care nurse for Veterans Affairs, was hailed as a good and caring man by his grieving family.

Their statement said: ‘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.

‘Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.

‘I do not through around the hero term lightly.

‘However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.’ 

Pretti loved his pet, Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who recently died

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, could be seen the street filming with his phone while a small group confronts a federal agent. His other hand appeared to be empty 

Pretti is seen holding his phone and appearing to speak or film as he engages with federal agents

Pretti can be seen holding a bright, shiny object during a struggle with federal agents

The Border Patrol Union appeared to put forward their own justification as to how events unfolded without hours of the shooting taking place

Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting into adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died. 

He had also participated in protests following the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.

‘He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,’ said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. 

‘He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.’

Pretti was a US citizen, born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a handful of traffic tickets.

In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Colorado, told him to be careful when protesting.

‘We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,’ Michael Pretti said.

‘And he said he knows that. He knew that.’

Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed outdoor pursuits including mountain biking 

 Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse and had worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a nurse

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.

The family first learned of the shooting when they were called by a reporter for the Associated Press. 

They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota to try and get more information.

‘I can’t get any information from anybody,’ Michael Pretti said earlier. ‘The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.’

Eventually, the family called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son.

As of Saturday evening, the family said they had still not heard from anyone at a federal law enforcement agency about their son’s death.

Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.

After graduation, he went to the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment, according to the family.

He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

Pretti can be seen being pepper sprayed by agents in the moments before his killing

Pretti could be seen trying to assist a women who was on the ground when officers stepped in

Officers are seen kneeling next to Pretti after being shot moments earlier 

People gather around a makeshift memorial at the site where Alex Pretti was fatally shot

Pretti lived in a four-unit condominium building about 2 miles from where he was shot. Neighbors described him as quiet and warmhearted.

‘He´s a wonderful person,’ said Sue Gitar, who lived downstairs from Pretti and said he moved into the building about three years ago. ‘He has a great heart.’

If there was something suspicious going on in the neighborhood, or when they worried the building might have a gas leak, he would jump in to help.

Pretti lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but he was not a loner, his neighbors said, and would sometimes have friends over.

His neighbors knew he had guns – he´d occasionally take a rifle to shoot at a gun range – but were surprised at the idea that he might carry a pistol on the streets.

‘I never thought of him as a person who carried a gun,’ said Gitar.

A competitive bicycle racer who lavished care on his new Audi, Pretti had also been deeply attached to his dog, who died about a year ago.

His parents said their last conversation with their son was a couple days before his death. 

They talked about repairs he had done to the garage door of his home. 

The worker was a Latino man, and they said with all that was happening in Minneapolis he gave the man a $100 tip.

Pretti’s mother said her son cared immensely about the direction the county was headed, especially the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations. ‘He hated that, you know, people were just trashing the land,’ Susan Pretti said. 

‘He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.’