A forensic body language expert is disputing the Department of Homeland Security’s account of how Alex Pretti died, pointing to video footage that appears to show a federal agent in a gray jacket removing a gun, turning away, and running as the unarmed ICU nurse is shot in the back by ICE agents.

Minneapolis has again become the focus of national attention following two fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers within a matter of weeks. After the January killing of Renee Nicole Good, public outrage has now intensified over the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was fatally shot during an anti-ICE protest on January 24.

In the days following the shooting, former President Donald Trump publicly defended the federal operation. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Trump described the firearm allegedly taken from Pretti as “a very dangerous and unpredictable gun,” suggesting it could discharge without warning.

“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump said in a January 25 interview. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”

The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that Pretti posed a threat. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was “brandishing” a firearm and had attacked officers during the operation.

“This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like,” Noem said on the day of the shooting, according to CNN.

However, video footage from the scene has complicated that narrative. Multiple recordings shared online do not show Pretti holding a gun at any point during the confrontation. While it is undisputed that he was carrying a legally obtained firearm in a belt holster, the footage appears to show him holding only a phone as he was surrounded by agents, pepper-sprayed, and forced to the ground.

Several eyewitnesses have said Pretti was attempting to help a woman who had been knocked down during the chaos and that he appeared to be trying to comply rather than threaten officers. In the available video, there is no clear indication that he drew his weapon or posed an immediate danger at the moment lethal force was used.

The debate intensified after a detailed analysis by Dr. G Explains, a clinical and forensic psychologist known for evaluating high-profile incidents through body language and behavioral analysis. After reviewing the footage, he argued that the actions of certain agents did not align with claims of an imminent threat.

In a video posted to YouTube, Dr. G focused on the behavior of one particular officer, stating that the agent’s movements suggested escalation rather than de-escalation.

“This is not somebody who’s trying to deescalate,” he said while reviewing the footage. “This is someone who is actively escalating the situation very, very quickly.”

He pointed to moments where Pretti, already on the ground and surrounded, appeared to be struck repeatedly with a pepper spray canister. According to Dr. G, this conduct occurred after Pretti had been subdued by multiple agents.

Dr. G then urged viewers to pay close attention to an officer wearing a gray jacket. As Pretti is shown on his knees, the analyst said the footage appears to capture that agent removing the firearm from Pretti’s waistband. At roughly the same moment, someone can be heard shouting “gun.”

According to Dr. G, the agent who removed the weapon did not clearly alert other officers that Pretti had been disarmed.

“Now, this other officer has literally pulled the gun out,” he explained. “And that’s as soon as ICE starts aiming the gun. The firearm is no longer present. It’s no longer visible. And that’s when they aim at him.”

Dr. G highlighted what he described as a critical detail: after taking possession of the gun, the agent in the gray jacket appears to turn away and run as shots are fired.

“I want to show you the immediate response once he gets a hold of the gun,” he said. “Right there, the shooting has now started, and he is literally running away and not looking back.”

From a behavioral standpoint, Dr. G questioned why an officer would turn his back and retreat if he truly believed the individual posed a continuing armed threat.

“It would be a really bad idea to turn your back on someone if you believe that they are armed and dangerous,” he said, acknowledging that officers could theoretically fear a second weapon but noting that the visible behavior did not reflect that assumption.

Dr. G’s analysis suggests a disconnect between the official narrative and what can be observed in the footage, adding fuel to calls for an independent and transparent investigation into Pretti’s death.

Pretti’s family has echoed those concerns, sharply criticizing federal officials for what they describe as false and damaging claims about their son.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family said in a statement. “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper-sprayed.”

They urged the public to focus on the evidence rather than rhetoric.

“Please get the truth out about our son,” the statement concluded. “He was a good man.”

As federal reviews continue, the analysis from body language experts, eyewitness accounts, and video footage have intensified scrutiny of the incident. For many observers, the unresolved questions surrounding Alex Pretti’s death have become emblematic of broader concerns about use of force, accountability, and transparency during federal immigration operations.