A forensic body language expert is challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s account of how Alex Pretti was killed, citing video footage that appears to contradict claims that the ICU nurse posed an immediate threat.Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was fatally shot by federal immigration agents during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis on January 24, just weeks after another fatal shooting involving federal officers in the city. The Trump administration and DHS officials have defended the agents’ actions, asserting that Pretti was armed and behaving violently.

However, multiple videos from the scene complicate that narrative. While it is undisputed that Pretti legally carried a firearm in a waistband holster, footage does not show him holding or drawing the weapon. Instead, recordings appear to show him holding a phone as agents pepper-sprayed him, forced him to the ground, and restrained him. Dr. G Explains, a clinical and forensic psychologist who reviewed the footage, argues that the agents’ behavior suggests escalation rather than de-escalation.

He drew particular attention to an officer in a gray jacket who appears to remove Pretti’s gun while Pretti is already on his knees and surrounded. According to Dr. G, the footage shows that after the firearm is removed, the agent turns away and runs as shots are fired. He questioned why an officer would retreat if they believed Pretti remained an armed threat, noting that such behavior does not align with standard threat response.

Pretti’s family has strongly rejected official claims, stating their son was unarmed at the moment he was shot and was trying to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground. Calls for an independent investigation continue as scrutiny over the incident intensifies.