The family of a Minneapolis nurse shot dead by the Department of Homeland Security have eviscerated the Trump administration and branded his killers 'murdering and cowardly thugs' in a blistering statement. 

Speaking hours after Alex Jeffrey Pretti's death in Minneapolis Saturday morning, the 37-year-old's family said: 'The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.

'Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. 

'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.

'Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.'

While the family accused ICE of the shooting, it was actually carried out by officers from the Department for Homeland Security (DHS).

On Saturday evening, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed claims Pretti 'brandished' a weapon at her agents before his shooting.

But footage taken of the killing appears to dispute her claims.

One agent was seen removing what appeared to be Pretti's legally-owned handgun from his waistband.

Earlier on, Pretti could be seen holding a shiny object aloft while scuffling with an officer, moments after he was pepper-sprayed.

It is unclear what that object was. He had been recording with his phone in one hand before the confrontation erupted.

His other hand appeared to be free. The agent he was tussling with did not yell 'gun' at the sight of that object or recoil. 

Pretti, who worked as an intensive care nurse for Veterans Affairs, was hailed as a good and caring man by his grieving family.

Their statement said: 'Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.

'Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.

'I do not through around the hero term lightly.

'However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.' 

Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting into adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died. 

He had also participated in protests following the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.

'He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,' said Michael Pretti, Alex's father. 

'He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.'

Pretti was a US citizen, born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a handful of traffic tickets.

In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Colorado, told him to be careful when protesting.

'We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,' Michael Pretti said.

'And he said he knows that. He knew that.'

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.

The family first learned of the shooting when they were called by a reporter for the Associated Press. 

They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota to try and get more information.

'I can't get any information from anybody,' Michael Pretti said earlier. 'The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol's closed, the hospitals won't answer any questions.'

Eventually, the family called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son.

As of Saturday evening, the family said they had still not heard from anyone at a federal law enforcement agency about their son's death.

Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.

After graduation, he went to the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in biology, society and the environment, according to the family.

He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

Pretti lived in a four-unit condominium building about 2 miles from where he was shot. Neighbors described him as quiet and warmhearted.

'He´s a wonderful person,' said Sue Gitar, who lived downstairs from Pretti and said he moved into the building about three years ago. 'He has a great heart.'

If there was something suspicious going on in the neighborhood, or when they worried the building might have a gas leak, he would jump in to help.

Pretti lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but he was not a loner, his neighbors said, and would sometimes have friends over.

His neighbors knew he had guns - he´d occasionally take a rifle to shoot at a gun range - but were surprised at the idea that he might carry a pistol on the streets.

'I never thought of him as a person who carried a gun,' said Gitar.

A competitive bicycle racer who lavished care on his new Audi, Pretti had also been deeply attached to his dog, who died about a year ago.

His parents said their last conversation with their son was a couple days before his death. 

They talked about repairs he had done to the garage door of his home. 

The worker was a Latino man, and they said with all that was happening in Minneapolis he gave the man a $100 tip.

Pretti's mother said her son cared immensely about the direction the county was headed, especially the Trump administration's rollback of environmental regulations. 'He hated that, you know, people were just trashing the land,' Susan Pretti said. 

'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.'