On January 24, 2026, during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. on Nicollet Avenue amid protests and chaos. Pretti, a U.S. citizen and VA employee caring for veterans, became the second American killed in such encounters in Minnesota that month (following Renée Good on January 7), igniting nationwide protests, vigils, and intense debate over use of force, protester conduct, and federal tactics.
Who Was Alex Pretti?
Pretti was a licensed registered nurse working in intensive care at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Colleagues and family described him as compassionate, dedicated, and someone whose “core” was caring for others. He earned his RN license in 2021 after University of Minnesota studies and had prior VA research assistant experience. Divorced years earlier (no recent issues reported), he had no criminal record beyond traffic violations and held a valid Minnesota permit to carry (PTC) a concealed firearm.
Supporters, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, portrayed him as non-violent and helpful: “Alex wasn’t a terrorist. He was a VA nurse… incapable of causing harm.” His last reported words—”Are you okay?” to a woman he tried to assist—reflected calm compassion. Nursing unions held tributes emphasizing his empathy.
Ana Navarro said Pretti was “the perfect guy,” specifically “the guy you’d want to date your daughter, the guy you want your son to grow up to be, a decent human being who was serving humanity [and] serving sick veterans.” She also stated, “They killed the wrong guy, because this is like the perfect guy,” while defending his character against federal narratives and emphasizing that “there is nothing that has been said about that man that isn’t wonderful.”
However, Pretti had deepened into anti-ICE activism amid rising tensions. He kept a minimal public social media presence (professional LinkedIn visible, no protest posts), and used encrypted Signal chats for rapid-response coordination to federal ops. Pretti was a participant in the George Floyd protests as well
The Build-Up: January 13 Confrontation
Eleven days prior, on January 13, videos captured Pretti confronting federal agents: shouting expletives, spitting toward a vehicle, kicking and shattering its taillight, then resisting briefly during a takedown by multiple officers. He suffered a broken rib (one agent reportedly leaned on his back) and told a source he “thought he was going to die.” Released without charges, the injury and fear logically should have deterred return—yet he reappeared armed on January 24.
The January 24 Incident: Timeline and Key Moments
Bystander videos (verified by CNN, NYT, ABC, BBC, NPR) and a preliminary DHS report to Congress outline a ~5-minute sequence:
– **~9:00 a.m.**: Agents approach civilians (including women with whistles). Pretti arrives early (likely via Signal), films with phone, directs traffic.
– **~9:03 a.m.**: He inserts himself to help a woman shoved/peppered, placing his body between her and an agent (arm around her in protective gesture).
– Agents pepper-spray him, wrestle him down (7-8+ officers), strike him.
– An agent removes his holstered 9mm Sig Sauer and steps away **before** shots (CNN/NYT analyses confirm ~1-5 seconds prior).
– **~9:05 a.m.**: 10+ shots in under 5 seconds (forensic audio); two agents fired (Glock 19 and Glock 47 per DHS report). Some shots after Pretti collapses motionless. No report mentions him reaching/brandishing post-disarming.
– Pretti dies at hospital. Phone (filming) and gun chain-of-custody issues noted; judge ordered evidence preservation.
DHS initially alleged Pretti “brandished” a firearm and intended “maximum damage/massacre,” but the congressional report omits reaching/brandishing claims. Videos contradict early narratives; family called them “sickening lies.” Attorney Steve Schleicher described prior takedown as “violent assault” on non-threatening person.
The situation was dynamic: pepper spray, yelling (“GUN!”), limited visibility/comms. One agent asks “Where’s the gun?” post-shots; disarming agent replies “I got the gun”—suggesting possible unawareness among others during scrum. Pretti resisted during restraint (bracing/twisting, not fully compliant), though videos show no aggressive reaching after disarming, yet he was never under control.
Key Questions: Armed Presence and Interference
Pretti carried legally (valid PTC, no criminal history), but no ID or PTC card on him—a petty misdemeanor under Minnesota law (must carry card; fine up to $25). Not felony-level, but complicated on-scene verification.
His interference—physically blocking agent control of civilian while armed—raises potential federal felony under 18 U.S.C. § 111 (forcibly resisting, impeding, or interfering with officers; up to years in prison if weapon involved). DHS/Noem statements framed actions as obstruction/assault; critics argue videos show reflexive resistance in chaos, not forcible attack. Armed presence amplified perceived threat in dynamic encounter.
Polarized Perspectives: Zealotry vs. Excessive Force
– Progressive/family view: Compassionate helper intervening non-violently (final act shielding woman). Warren and others decry excessive force, demand transparency/Noem resignation.
– Critic/conservative view: Spiraling zealotry/entitlement: Prior aggression (Jan. 13 vandalism/resistance), ignoring warnings (parents: protest but “do not engage”), low profile, armed return despite injury/fear, direct obstruction while armed. Inserting between agent/civilian reflects belief moral cause grants impunity—no real retribution until lethal response. Ego/hatred overrode self-preservation amid miscalculation. I believe his last thought was one of disbelief.
The armed interference despite prior trauma stands out as clearest zealotry marker—escalating in no-win scenario against armed professionals.
“AssauIt me, motherfcker!!!” – Alex Pretti on January 13th trying to get injured by federal officers pic.twitter.com/33PBDIiJxN
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 29, 2026
Aftermath and Ongoing Questions
Two agents on administrative leave; investigations (FBI, state, DHS) ongoing. Body-cam footage (multiple angles, confirmed worn/recorded) under review but unreleased (DHS holding; congressional/state demands for access). Protests continue; memorials honor Pretti as justice advocate.
Some things become clear. Had Tim Walz agreed to cooperate with the Feds, two people would likely be alive today. Had Jacob Frey agreed to have local police work with the Feds, Alex Pretti would be arrested during his first melee and would be alive today. Rene Good would have been arrested for blocking traffic and would be alive today. Had Joe Biden not flooded the country with 10-12 million illegal aliens all of this would have been prevented.
How many more have to die for the sake of political egos?
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
As always with the Lie a Day M.S. Media their Cherry Picking the News and allowing only that which suites their needs more reasons to totally Boycott the M.S. Media Bottom Feeders and Sewer Dwellers
A posthumous Darwin Award for Alex Pretti for Sure Leftists Stupidity Do I have a 2nd Vote?
This leftist clown was nothing more than a Che wannabe, and just like Che, he bit the bullet, literally.
What about the picture of him in full drag queen get up? Sound like someone your mother wants introduced to her daughters? Further this was his second incident, he was stalking ICE. No sympathy for a psycho with bad intentions.
That he was one of the scheduled crisis/chaos actors used by rich liberal puppet masters to stir up this outrage-of-the-day, Alex should have been smart enough to see that, to them, he was just another useful idiot.
But these street actors, seemingly middle class and white educated persons, are having their minds messed with by well planned rhetorical games so that they replace thinking with feeling.
He quit his job as a nurse to be a full-time chaos agent.
They used him.
ICE would never have had to be there in such force if it weren’t for Walz and Frey’s policy of non-cooperation.
Lots more illegals are rounded up elsewhere without the drama where state and local officials cooperate with the feds.
I wonder if all this drama isn’t just diversion because of the fraud exposed by amateur journalist Nick Shirley.
59 shootings by ICE officers from 2015 to 2021 that took place across 26 states and two U.S. territories, including two that were self-inflicted. At least 24 people were injured in the shootings.
Twenty-three were killed.’OMG Where were the Democrats then? When kids were in cages wrapped in foil like tacos laying on cold hard concrete floors?
Grandpa Biden didnt do that he handed them over to any frigging perv or kiddie labor camp that came along those follow ups, well waste of taxpayers dollars. The dollars he spent flying in terrorists.