A man who was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis has been identified by his family as 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti.
He has been described as an avid outdoorsman who loved mountain biking and is understood to have joined protests after Renee Good, also 37, was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in her car earlier this month.
Conflicting accounts have emerged about the moments leading up to his death.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said an agent fired in self-defence after Pretti, who they claim had a handgun, resisted attempts to disarm him. Some eyewitnesses and officials, as well as Pretti's family, have challenged that account.
Videos show no evidence to support the claim he used any armed force to threaten agents.
Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, his family said in a statement. They told the Associated Press news agency (AP) that he was upset by US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration in the city.
Pretti's mother also said her son cared immensely about the Trump administration's rollback of environmental regulations.
He hated that, you know, people were just trashing the land, Susan Pretti told AP.
She added: He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.
Pretti had no interactions with law enforcement beyond traffic tickets, family say. They said he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota - but they had never known him to carry it.
After seeing videos suggesting their son was a domestic terrorist, Pretti's family urged the public to understand the truth about his character. He was a good man, they stated.
Born in Illinois, Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was known for his warm heart. His family and friends remember him fondly, with neighbors describing him as a wonderful person who brought light to their community.
