Killing of Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti, 37-year-old Minneapolis VA ICU nurse, was shot dead by Border Patrol on Jan 24, 2026, while filming. Lawful concealed carry holder, no criminal record. Videos: phone in hand, pepper-sprayed, pinned, killed.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a 37‑year‑old American intensive care unit (ICU) nurse from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents on January 24, 2026, at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. He was a U.S. citizen, a lawful gun owner with a Minnesota permit to carry, and had no serious criminal record beyond minor traffic and parking tickets.
Who Alex Pretti was
Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, caring for critically ill patients, including veterans. He grew up in Wisconsin, graduating from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006, where he was involved in music and theater activities.
Circumstances of his death
On the morning of January 24, 2026, federal agents were conducting an immigration‑enforcement operation in south Minneapolis when Pretti was present at the scene, reportedly recording the agents on his phone and helping direct traffic and bystanders. Multiple witness videos show him being pepper‑sprayed, pinned to the ground by several agents, and then shot multiple times; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Conflicting accounts
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti approached agents with a handgun and “violently resisted,” framing the shooting as defensive. However, independent video analyses and local officials note that footage shows him holding a phone, not a visible firearm, in the moments before the shooting, fueling controversy and protests over the use of federal force in Minneapolis.
Legacy and reaction
Pretti’s killing followed another fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by federal agents earlier in January, deepening tensions between the city and the Trump‑administration‑led immigration operations. His union and family have described him as a dedicated healthcare worker and a non‑violent person, emphasizing that he was “murdered for holding a phone” rather than posing an imminent lethal threat.
Alex Pretti's parents released this statement after his killing: “We are heartbroken but also very angry. 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 throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.”