Differing accounts of Alex Pretti shooting

In Minnesota, local and federal officials are giving contradictory accounts of what led to the killing of an ICU nurse by a Border Patrol agent. State and city officials say DHS blocked them from accessing the scene. Now a judge is ordering federal authorities not to destroy evidence related to the shooting. Minnesota's attorney general said the action was necessary. This is an extraordinary moment in an unprecedented time, and we're doing all we can to step up to that moment. CBS News national correspondent Lana Zak has been reporting from Minneapolis through the weekend and joins us now. Lana, good morning to you. What are we learning about Pretti and the shooting that claimed his life? Well, good morning, Errol. We know from friends and family of Alex Pretti that he was deeply upset about President Trump's immigration crackdown in this city. Now, the Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation into his death, and they have made comments that differ sharply from those of eyewitness accounts and the video you're about to see.

Whoa!

Video from inside this bystander's car shows an up-close view as federal agents appear to spray a chemical irritant, then wrestle Alex Pretti to the ground on the streets of Minneapolis.

That is police brutality!

Other video from outside shows agents restraining Pretti, an American citizen. One appears to pull a gun from Pretti's waist. A second later, he was shot and killed by another agent. Hours after the killing, the Department of Homeland Security said Pretti approached US Border Patrol officers with this gun while agents conducted a targeted operation for a violent individual. Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry a concealed handgun. These officers used their training, followed their protocols, and were in fear of their lives and the people around them.

State and local officials say the videos paint a different picture. This is an inflection point, America. If we cannot all agree that the smearing of an American citizen and besmirching everything they stood for and asking us not to believe what we saw, I don't know what else to tell you.

Witnesses on the scene testified that Pretti was holding his phone and did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. A pediatrician who was nearby when the shooting happened testified "none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR." The witness counted at least "three bullet wounds in his back, an additional gunshot wound in the victim's upper left chest, and another possible gunshot wound on his neck." Pretti was an intensive care nurse for veterans at the Minneapolis VA hospital. A 2024 video shows him reading a final salute for a deceased veteran. Today, we remember that freedom is not free.

Pretti's father said his son participated in protests after Renee Good was killed by federal agents earlier this month.

He cared about people deeply, and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States. Alex was a really good person.

Robert Alver met Pretti when they were at the University of Minnesota. I mean, you see that smile, and what do you think? That's him. That is how he came to work. He was serious about his work, but he wasn't serious, quick with a joke, and very funny. It's a true loss for you. It's a loss for everybody. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security so that they will not destroy or alter any evidence. Today, here in Minnesota, we're going to see prosecutors there in court trying to compel the federal government to give them access to that investigation, Errol.

All right, Lana Zak there in Minneapolis for us. Lana, thank you.