A 37-year-old intensive care nurse was shot dead by federal officers at an anti-immigration rally in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026. He has been identified as Alex Pretti.
Who was Alex Pretti?
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, born in Illinois, was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed going on adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog, who also recently passed away. He worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and participated in protests following the January 7, 2026, killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.
Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played football and baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir. After graduation, he attended 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.
What do we know about the shooting?
A person is pushed back by a federal agent working on the scene in Minneapolis, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Videos from the scene verified and reviewed by Reuters showed Pretti holding a phone in his hand, not a gun, as he tries to help other protesters who had been pushed to the ground by agents. As the videos begin, Pretti can be seen filming while a federal agent pushes away one woman and shoves another woman to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and the women, then raises his left arm to shield himself as the agent pepper sprays him. Several agents then take hold of Pretti — who struggles with them — and force him onto his hands and knees. As the agents pin Pretti down, someone shouts what sounds like a warning about the presence of a gun.
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Video footage then appears to show one of the agents removing a gun from Pretti and stepping away from the group with it. Moments later, an officer with a handgun points at Pretti’s back and fires four shots in quick succession. Several more shots can then be heard as another agent appears to fire at Pretti.
Minneapolis shooting narrative and contradicting video evidence
Following Alex Pretti’s death, contradicting accounts have emerged regarding what transpired before his death. In a bystander video verified by Reuters, multiple agents struggle on the ground with Pretti and appear to strike him before a shot is fired. Pretti falls down, after which multiple additional shots can be heard. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that a Border Patrol agent fired at the man, who resisted the agents’ attempts to disarm him, but local leaders challenged that account.
A screengrab from a video shows law enforcement officers kneeling next to the body of a man who was shot when federal agents were trying to detain him in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., on January 24, 2026.
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Bring Me The News via Reuters
Statements by President Donald Trump’s administration said agents fired “defensively” against Pretti as he approached them. Pretti can be seen with only a phone in his hand as he steps between an immigration agent and a woman on the street. No footage appears to show him with a weapon.
A Federal Judge has already issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting, after state and county officials sued.
Pretti’s death at the hands of federal agents took place less than three weeks another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent — on a street about 2 km (1.25 miles) away.
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Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, told the CBS “Face the Nation” programme that “the videos speak for themselves,” calling the Trump administration’s version of events deeply disturbing. He said he had seen no evidence that Pretti brandished a gun.
Federal authorities have refused to allow local officials to participate in their investigation of the incident.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on Mr. Trump to pull Federal agents out of the state while Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino accused Good and Pretti of creating the situations that led to their deaths.
The civilian’s death has triggered outrage against U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. As a result, thousands of protesters have poured into the streets, demanding stringent action against errant officials.
Family denies official’s statements
“He cared about people deeply, and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with federal agents, 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.”
“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.
Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They stated that they had never known him to carry it.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family’s statement said. They added that videos showed Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents, but holding his phone with one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper-sprayed.
Demands for justice grow louder
Taking a sharp dig at Donald Trump administration, former U.S. President Barrack Obama said the killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. “It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault,” Mr. Obama’s post on X read.
Also Read |Republican calls grow for deeper investigation into fatal Minneapolis shooting
In his page-long statement, the Democratic leader stated that people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that appear to be designed to intimidate, harass, provoke, and endanger the residents of a major American city.
“This has to stop. I would hope that after this most recent tragedy, administration officials will reconsider their approach, and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals”, it mentioned.
Would crackdowns be halted?
The fate of the enforcements led by U.S. Federal agents in Minnesoata which has claimed the life of two officials would be decided by a Federal Judge on Monday (January 26, 2026).
A makeshift memorial at the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after protester Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer.
Meanwhile, U.S. Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and stated that “Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or, at the very least, stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.
(With inputs from agencies)
