The family of Alex Pretti has released a sharply worded statement condemning the Trump administration’s narrative about his death. The 37-year-old intensive care nurse was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026.
Pretti’s parents described themselves as “heartbroken but also very angry” and directly challenged federal claims about their son’s actions. Pretti was a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. He was brutally killed while he was trying to save a woman during an aggressive federal operation in the city.
Bystander videos show Pretti holding a phone and not a weapon in the moments before he was shot. The officers tackled him, pepper-sprayed him, and then shot him at close range while on the ground. The footage contradicts the Department of Homeland Security’s assertion that Pretti approached officers with a handgun.
In their statement, Pretti’s parents rejected the administration’s characterization of the event as an act of justified self-defense. They said, “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.” They also emphasized that he was not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s “murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
The family detailed that Pretti had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand raised above his head while trying to protect a woman whom federal agents had just pushed down. Heartbroken, they urged the public to “get the truth out about our son,” affirming that he “was a good man.”
Alex Pretti lived a life of service and compassion
Alex Pretti was widely remembered by friends, colleagues, and union leaders as a compassionate and dedicated individual. As an ICU nurse caring for veterans, he was known for his calm professionalism and deep concern for others.
His father said Pretti was upset by the administration’s immigration crackdown and had participated peacefully in protests following another fatal federal shooting in Minneapolis earlier that month. Community members described him as a generous outdoorsman who sought to make a positive impact in the world. The family echoed this characterization in their public statement.
Conflicting official accounts of Alex Pretti’s murder
Federal authorities alleged that Pretti had “approached” Border Patrol officers with a firearm and resisted disarmament. Officials displayed a weapon they claimed was recovered at the scene, and the DHS defended the shooting as lawful.
However, multiple independent videos show Pretti holding a phone, not a weapon, immediately before he was pinned and shot. One bystander video verified by The Wall Street Journal appears to show an agent removing a firearm from Pretti just before another agent fired at him while he was on the ground.
Political and public fallout
Pretti’s death comes less than three weeks after Renée Good was shot by an ICE agent in the same city. The incident thus intensified public outrage and magnified calls for federal immigration agents to leave Minneapolis. Officials blocked local law enforcement from accessing the scene initially, and Minnesota state authorities have called for independent investigation and accountability.
The controversy has also escalated into a broader political battle over immigration enforcement. Barack Obama labeled the killing a “heartbreaking tragedy” and a wake-up call about core American values being under threat. Local and state lawmakers have also publicly pushed to end the federal enforcement surge. (via The Irish Times)
Pretti’s family’s statement, highlighting both his character and their rejection of the official narrative, has become a focal point in the ongoing debate over federal immigration policy, law enforcement transparency, and accountability for civilian deaths at the hands of government agents.
Published: Jan 26, 2026 09:13 am