A doctor who claims he witnessed the Alex Pretti killing says the Border Patrol agents who shot him were more interested in counting bullet holes than performing life-saving measures.
The Minneapolis pediatrician gave sworn testimony saying he did not see Pretti attack Border Patrol agents or “brandish a weapon of any kind” … and he says “there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers.”
In his testimony, which is part of a lawsuit against DHS, the doctor — whose identity is redacted — says … “At first, the ICE agents wouldn’t let me through. But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, and I could tell that the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the ICE agents let me assess him.”
He says he was finally allowed to approach Pretti — after being patted down for weapons — and says the agents appeared to be counting Pretti’s bullet wounds instead of checking for a pulse or administering CPR.
The doc says agents told him they didn’t know if Pretti had a pulse … so he checked, but didn’t feel one and started CPR.
Pretti had “at least three bullet wounds in his back,” another in his upper left chest and “another possible gunshot wound in his neck” … the doctor claimed.
EMS personnel showed up and took over, and the doc says he hung around for a few minutes as tensions rose and a crowd of protesters formed. He says he went back to his nearby apartment and was “extremely distraught … sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.”
The doc says federal agents deployed tear gas on the crowd … and the chemical agent started seeping into his apartment, so he went to a friend’s house, “barely able to speak.”
He says Minneapolis does not feel safe and he worries someone he loves “will be shot and killed for voicing their displeasure and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Bottom line from the doc … “A person should not be shot and killed for lawfully expressing their opinions.”