ICE Agents Fatally Shot U.S. Citizen and ICU Nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

What Happened

Over the weekend in Minneapolis, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a federal immigration enforcement operation that had drawn local protests. Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, had joined community members who were documenting and challenging the unconstitutional treatment of citizens and immigrants by federal agents.

Video recordings of the incident show Pretti standing in the street holding a cellphone and filming agents as they conducted their operation. At one point, footage appears to show an agent pushing or pepper-spraying another person to the ground, and Pretti shielding and assisting them—before being sprayed and forcibly wrestled to the frozen pavement by several federal agents.

Once on the ground, multiple agents are seen grappling with Pretti as they attempt to restrain him. Around that time, an agent appears to remove a firearm from Pretti’s waistband holster. Moments later, another agent opens fire at very close range, discharging multiple rounds and leaving Pretti motionless on the sidewalk.

A Life Devoted to Caring for Others

Family members describe Pretti as a deeply compassionate person who devoted his life to caring for others. An intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, Pretti worked long hours tending to critically ill patients and was known for his calm presence and empathy. His father said Alex was profoundly troubled by what he saw as abuses carried out during immigration enforcement operations, particularly the treatment of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.

An avid outdoorsman, Pretti loved biking, caring for his home, and spending time with his Catahoula Leopard dog, Joule. He grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was active in sports, scouting, and choir, later earning a degree from the University of Minnesota before returning to school to become a nurse. Friends and neighbors described him as quiet, warmhearted, and quick to help when someone was in need.

Those closest to him say Pretti’s decision to protest stemmed from moral conviction. “He cared about people deeply,” his father said. “He loved this country—but he couldn’t stay silent when he believed it was being harmed.”

A Twisted DHS Narrative 

Despite widely-circulated video evidence and multiple eyewitness accounts showing that Alex Pretti did not have a weapon in his hands at the time he was shot and that none of the footage appears to show him drawing or brandishing a firearm, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials have maintained that Pretti posed a threat. Video from multiple angles, reviewed by news organizations and law enforcement analysts, shows Pretti holding only a cellphone in his hand before the shooting, and at no point in the bystander footage does he appear to raise or aim a weapon at officers.