Alex Pretti

thumb|Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it — nurture it, protect it and even sacrifice for it. Alex Jeffrey Pretti (9 November 1988 - 24 January 2026) was an American intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, who was shot and killed by United States Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His killing occurred amid widespread protests against a federal immigration crackdown and followed the fatal shooting of Renée Good, also by federal officers. Quotes Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it — nurture it, protect it and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget — and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation, in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour we render our honor and our gratitude. Delivering a tribute to Terrence Lee Randolph, a 71-year-old Air Force veteran who had just died at Minneapolis VA Medical Center (10 December 2024) · Video posted online by Randolph's son, after the death of Pretti; also quoted in " VA critical care nurse shot by federal agents is remembered for compassionate care" by Linda F. Hersey, in Stars and Stripes (26 January 2026) What are you doing here? Shouted at federal agents on January 13, 2026; Alex Pretti "repeatedly curses at them [the agents] and spits at one agent as the agent is getting into a vehicle. When the agents begin to drive away, Mr. Pretti kicks twice at one of the vehicle's taillights, breaking it. That seems to prompt the agents to get back out of the vehicle and push him to the ground" – as reported in "Videos Show Alex Pretti in Confrontation With Agents 11 Days Before His Death" by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, The New York Times (January 28, 2026). "A spokesperson for his family and the family's attorney have verified that the man in the video is Pretti", as reported in "Bystander video reveals confrontation between Alex Pretti and federal agents 11 days before killing" by Liz Sawyer, The Minnesota Star Tribune (January 29, 2026) What the f*** is wrong with you? Every decision you've made in your life is f***ing wrong! Yelling at ICE agents in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026; as reported in "Damning new video shows Alex Pretti running at ICE agents and screaming in their faces" by Stephen M. Lepore, Daily Mail (January 29, 2026) Assault me, motherf***er. Confronting ICE agents in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026; as reported in "Alex Pretti Kicks ICE Vehicle, Yells "Assault Me, Motherf***er"" by Ian Schwartz, RealClearPolitics (January 28, 2026) Are you OK? Last known words, to a woman who had been knocked to the ground by a Border Patrol agent, before he himself was pepper-sprayed (after "briefly putting his hand on the agent's waist"), surrounded, thrown to the ground, and shot (after someone yelled that Pretti had a gun); as reported in "New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti" by Devon Lum, Haley Willis, Alexander Cardia, Dmitriy Khavin and Ainara Tiefenthäler, The New York Times (January 26, 2026), and in "Alex Pretti Was a Good Man at a Time of Great Evil" by Joan Walsh, The Nation (25 January 2026)· Clearly spoken just before being sprayed, tackled to the ground and shot, @15 seconds into video posted on threads.com Quotes about Pretti The American Nurses Association (ANA) is deeply disturbed and saddened to learn of the death of Alex Pretti, a registered nurse, in Minneapolis earlier today. We extend our condolences to Alex’s loved ones, colleagues, and the community at large. ANA condemns violence in our communities. The seriousness of this incident and others demand transparency and accountability. ANA calls for a full, unencumbered investigation, and urges that findings be shared promptly and clearly so Alex’s loved ones and the public have answers. "Statement from the American Nurses Association regarding the death of registered nurse Alex Pretti" (24 January 2026) Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes. …The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn’t see him touch any of them — he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. … I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don’t feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don’t know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they’re not telling the truth about what happened. Anonymous (name redacted), Witness Statement (24 January 2026) CASE 0:25-cv-04669-KMM-DTS Doc. 107 PDF; also reported in "The Indictment of the People : Tincher v. Noem" by K. Starling, We the People Dissent (25 January 2026) Legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm. I support American’s 1st and 4th amendment rights. There is nothing wrong with legally peacefully protesting and videoing. Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, in Marjorie Taylor Greene Demands MAGA Admit Injustice Of Latest Minnesota Shooting. Kelby Vera. January 26, 2026. The Huffington Post. Tensions in Minneapolis have soared in the wake of a Border Patrol agent’s shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse, on Saturday. Footage showed multiple officers pinning Pretti to the ground and removing his 9mm handgun, the gun slide of which appeared to move. Officers then opened fire on Pretti. Attorney General Pam Bondi penned a letter to Walz on how to end the chaos in Minnesota but the governor shrugged that off. “There’s 2 million documents in the Epstein files we’re still waiting on. Go ahead and work on those,” Walz snapped back on Sunday.“We cooperate. We don’t do their job,” Walz later contended when pressed about the Trump administration’s demands that it can get more access to the state’s jails. “It’s their job to do immigration.” The shooting of Pretti came some two weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot Renee Good, also 37, after she accelerated her SUV in his direction. An investigation into Pretti’s death is ongoing, according to top officials, including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Ryan King, "Tim Walz compares Trump’s ICE crackdown in Minnesota to Nazi occupation told by Anne Frank", New York Post, 25 January 2026 I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to assess the victim. At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. They repeatedly asked me for my physician's license, which I obviously didn't have. But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, and I could tell that the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him. Finally, one agent agreed to let me assess the victim. He patted me down to "make sure I didn't have a weapon" and then let me approach the victim. As I approached, I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents. I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot. Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds. I asked the ICE agents if the victim had a pulse, and they said they did not know. I then asked the agents to make space so I could assess the victim. The victim had at least three bullet wounds in his back. I asked the ICE agents to turn the victim from his side to his back. From that position, I saw an additional gunshot wound on the victim's upper left chest and another possible gunshot wound on his neck. I checked for a pulse, but I did not feel one. I immediately began CPR. Shortly after I started compressions, EMS personnel arrived and took over. Physician's Witness Statement (24 January 2026) CASE 0:25-cv-04669-KMM-DTS Doc. 109 PDF ; also reported in "The Indictment of the People : Tincher v. Noem" by K. Starling, We the People Dissent (25 January 2026) and "Read a Witness Statement on the Pretti Shooting" The New York Times (25 January 2026) Through the winter's ice and coldDown Nicolet AvenueA city aflame fought fire and ice'Neath an occupier's bootsKing Trump's private army from the DHSGuns belted to their coatsCame to Minneapolis to enforce the lawOr so their story goesAgainst smoke and rubber bulletsBy the dawn's early lightCitizens stood for justiceTheir voices ringing through the nightAnd there were bloody footprintsWhere mercy should have stoodAnd two dead left to die on snow-filled streetsAlex Pretti and Renee Good Bruce Springsteen, "Streets of Minneapolis" (2026), song written by The Boss himself Trump's federal thugs beat up onHis face and his chestThen we heard the gunshotsAnd Alex Pretti lay in the snow, deadTheir claim was self defense, sirJust don't believe your eyesIt's our blood and bonesAnd these whistles and phonesAgainst Miller and Noem's dirty lies Bruce Springsteen, "Streets of Minneapolis" (2026), song written by The Boss himself External links Killing of Alex Pretti Category:2026 deaths Category:Nurses from the United States