Alex Pretty.Photo: Dimitri Drekonja
The Minnesota man who was killed Saturday by federal agents has been identified as Alex Pretti, 37, a registered nurse who works in the intensive care unit of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, which serves veterans.
It’s the second fatal shooting this month in Minneapolis, Minn., in addition to another non-fatal shooting amid a major Minnesota crackdown by federal agents.
Pretti attended nursing school at the University of Minnesota, where he was also a junior scientist beginning in 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“He wanted to help people,” said Dimitri Drekonja, chief of infectious diseases at the VA hospital and a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, who worked with Pretti at the hospital and on a research project. “He was a super nice guy, very helpful – he took care of his patients. I’m just blown away.”
He described Pretti as an “outstanding” nurse and hard worker, quick with a joke and an “infectious” spirit. “He was such a good guy,” Drekonja told the Guardian. “I love working with him.”
Michael Pretti, Alex’s father, echoed Drekonja’s assessment, describing his son to the Associated Press as someone who “cares deeply about people and was very upset about what was happening in Minneapolis and across the United States with ICE, because millions of other people are upset.”
“He felt that the protest was a way to express his concern for others,” the elder Pretti said.
Pretti’s father confirmed to the AP that his son participated in protests after the killing of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month.
Videos circulating online Saturday show Pretti directing traffic and filming federal agents, his right hand holding the phone up and his left hand empty. Another video shows him being wrestled to the ground by several law enforcement officers before appearing to be shot multiple times. At least two officers can be seen with their weapons drawn. Other videos show Pretti apparently coming to the defense of a legal observer who was pushed to the ground by a federal officer. That officer then repeatedly sprays Pretti with a chemical agent before attacking him in the street with other officers.
As at least five agents surround Pretti on the ground, one appears to shoot him at close range, followed by a volley of multiple shots, after which his body remains motionless.
“As far as I can see, he was trying to help rip somebody off, which is absolutely in character for him,” Drekonja said.
In a statement late Saturday, Pretti’s parents urged the media to “find out the truth about our son.”
“We are devastated, but also very upset,” Michael and Susan Pretti said in a statement read aloud on local news channel KARE 11. “Alex was a kind soul who cared deeply for his family and friends, as well as the American veterans he cared for as a nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he won’t be with us to see his impact.”
Related: A 37-year-old American citizen was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis
Police Chief Brian O’Hara later said during a news conference Saturday that Pretti’s only known previous interaction with law enforcement was for traffic tickets. O’Hara also noted that Pretti was “a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Pretti’s parents, who live in Wisconsin, told the AP that during a recent conversation with their son, they warned him to be careful during the protests.
“I had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that you go ahead and protest, but don’t get involved, don’t do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knew it. He knew it.”
When Pretti was in nursing school, Drekonja hired him to support a study on preventing C diff, a devastating bacterial infection. “He was instrumental in completing our process,” Drekonja said. “He was always asking the rest of the team what he could do. He was always trying to do whatever he could to free up space for others.”
Pretti obtained his nursing license in 2021 and was active until 2026. He also assisted in research in 2016.
The Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses (MNORN) released a statement on Pretti’s death Saturday afternoon: “Today, our nursing community is grieving. We have lost a fellow registered nurse to an act of violence related to immigration enforcement. Regardless of where each of us stands on the issues of this moment, the loss of a fellow nurse, a nurse, a fellow nurse, a fellow nurse, a human nurse, a colleague.
“This message is not about politics. It is about mourning a life taken too soon and honoring the calling we all share. As nurses, we understand loss in a way that others cannot. We know how quickly life can change, how fragile safety can feel, and how the pain reaches far beyond an individual to families, colleagues, patients and communities. When a nurse is lost, we all feel it.”
Dr. Aasma Shaukat, who told the Washington Post that she hired Pretti at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System about a decade ago, recalled him as “the sweetest, kindest, gentlest soul you’ll ever meet.”
“He had very bright eyes, a bushy tail, wanted to go into health care, work with patients and be a nurse,” she told the Post. “He did great. He did his job very well, he was a team player.”
Shaukat also said that Pretti “has always stood up for people and human rights, helping fellow citizens and just being a good citizen of the society and communities he lived in.” Of the videos circulating of the shooting, Shaukat told the paper, “It just feels so wrong. Knowing Alex, he was probably trying to protect or help or protect someone from the agents. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body; he was always talking about doing the right thing.”
Pretti loved mountain biking, and he and Drekonja always talked about biking together on the trails they both frequented.
“He found humor in life and that’s so sad when you see that,” Drekonja said. “It’s just a huge tragedy.”
Victoria Bekiempis contributed reporting