Barack Obama Warns The Killing Of Alex Pretti Should Be A 'Wake-Up' Call For Americans In Rare Statement

Former President Barack Obama has spoken out after the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents on Saturday in Minneapolis, saying in a statement that Pretti's killing should be a "wake-up call to every American."

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—whom authorities said he was permitted to carry but was not handling—before fatally shooting him.

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Pretti’s parents urged that “the truth” about their son’s death be told, condemning what they called the “sickening lies told about our son by the administration” as “reprehensible and disgusting.”

Their statement came after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials claimed Pretti had brandished a weapon and that agents fired “defensive shots,” assertions that have been contradicted by video evidence showing Pretti holding a phone and not brandishing a gun.

Addressing the matter, Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, called Pretti's killing "a heartbreaking tragedy," coming mere weeks after an ICE agent killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good:

"The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault."

"Federal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety. That’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite."

"For weeks now, people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city."

"These unprecedented tactics — which even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration has characterized as embarrassing, lawless and cruel — have now resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S citizens."

"And yet rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed, the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr. Pretti and Renee Good that aren’t informed by any serious investigation — and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence."

He added:

"This has to stop. I would hope that after this most recent tragedy, administration officials will reconsider their approach, and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals."

"In the meantime, every American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country. They are a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable."

You can see his statement below.

Barack Obama/Medium

Obama's words resonated with many.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has disputed the video evidence of Pretti's killing, telling Meet the Press that "No matter how many times you look at it, no matter how many different angles that we see, there’s a lot that we don’t see.”

He echoed the claims of the Justice Department that anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis have not been peaceful, saying that protesters "are trying to impede and obstruct ICE, and it makes the job that our men and women have to do virtually impossible to do without interactions like that."

Border patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino has also sparked anger, telling CNN that "the real victims are border agents," insisting that observers should wait for the results of a "full investigation" the Trump administration has already left in doubt.