Pretti was remembered as a “loving“ and “integral community member“ who was “murdered while standing up to bullies.“
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Alex Jeffrey Pretti after the 37-year-old was shot dead by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed while attending a protest event on Saturday, January 24.
His death has intensified tensions as ICE and other law enforcement agents carry out President Donald Trump's deportation operations in Minnesota. Now friends, colleagues and organizations associated with Pretti have taken to social media to pay tribute while also criticizing the Trump administration. Why It Matters When Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE agent during a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7, it sparked a wave of protests and intensified scrutiny around agents' conduct and accountability. Despite calling Good’s death a “tragedy,“ President Donald Trump told reporters, “I understand both sides,“ in relation to the contentious circumstances surrounding her death. Three weeks on, and the president is facing a similar situation with question marks hanging over the Pretti shooting. The Department of Homeland Security says Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.“ However, videos verified by various news outlets show Pretti was holding a phone in his right hand, with nothing in his left hand before he was shot, contradicting those claims. Pretti was legally conceal-carrying a handgun at the time of his death. He was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Records reflect no serious criminal history, according to authorities and public records cited by local media. Despite previously voicing support for second amendment rights, Trump has been critical of Pretti’s decision to bring a gun to the protest event, stating: “that doesn’t play good.“ What To Know National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, is calling for the “immediate abolition of ICE.“ The body said: “The nation’s nurses, who make it their mission to care for and save human lives, are horrified and outraged that immigration agents have once again committed cold-blooded murder of a public observer who posed no threat to them.“ National Nurses United paid tribute to Pretti’s work as an intensive care unit registered nurse for the Veterans Health Administration and advocate for patients inside the VA as a member of American Federation of Government Employees . “National Nurses United calls for a no vote on the Homeland Security Appropriations bill that is up for Senate approval next week and demands Congress abolish ICE entirely,“ the union said. The proprietors of Angry Catfish, a bicycle and coffee shop in Minneapolis that Pretti frequented, also paid tribute while condemning the circumstances around his death. “A member of our local cycling community. An integral community member serving as a nurse at our local VA hospital,“ the owners wrote on Instagram. “Murdered while standing up to bullies in his city. Then falsely smeared in the media as an agitator with an agenda. Do not believe the lies.“ Carley Miller, a woman who claims to have dated Pretti in college, wrote on Threads: “Alex Pretti was a kind, decent human being who was executed in broad daylight. He was a talented musician and singer, a goofy, loving boyfriend, an intelligent scientist, and he cared deeply about right and wrong.“ The University of Minnesota, which Pretti graduated from in 2011, struck a more somber tone. “As a nurse, he worked in a profession rooted in care, compassion and service,“ the university said. “We recognize that many are feeling fear, sadness, anger and confusion as we navigate a complex and challenging moment in our community, our state and our country. During this time we lean on our shared values of inclusion, community, belonging and safety. We ask for care for one another and a commitment to seek understanding and healing.“ Elsewhere, Ruth Anway, a Minneapolis-based nurse, described Pretti as a “good guy.“ “I worked with him daily for years at the VA hospital,“ Anway told the U.K. newspaper Daily Mail. “He was an ICU nurse. He worked with veterans. He was a really good guy. He definitely did not deserve to get killed.“ Heather Zielinski, a friend who was close to Pretti after he graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011, told USA Today: “I like intelligent people and he was just, he liked food and I was a chef at the time. He was doing research with the VA, like medical research, and he was just a good person.“ What People Are Saying National Nurses United said: “The nation’s nurses, who make it their mission to care for and save human lives, are horrified and outraged that immigration agents have once again committed cold-blooded murder of a public observer who posed no threat to them. This time, they have executed one of our fellow nurses, Alex Pretti, who saved veterans’ lives as an intensive care unit RN for the Veterans Health Administration. He not only advocated for his patients inside the VA as a member of American Federation of Government Employees , but also took his advocacy to the streets to stand up for his community as nurses do. We demand justice and accountability for his murder. “ICE and all related immigration enforcement agencies have repeatedly shown through their violence, terror, and lawlessness that they pose a dire public health threat to the entire country and all our communities. ICE agents have been kidnapping hard working people—mothers, fathers, and children—and now murdered a registered nurse, one of the most trusted professions in the country. “Nurses demand the immediate abolition of ICE. “Nurses are trained to respond to emergent situations and this is why we are calling for urgent action to end the ICE violence in our communities. National Nurses United calls for a no vote on the Homeland Security Appropriations bill that is up for Senate approval next week and demands Congress abolish ICE entirely. We will be doing everything in our power to vote out any elected official who supports funding for this all-out assault on the health, safety, and civil rights of our people. Abolish ICE now.“ The University of Minnesota: ““The University of Minnesota mourns the tragic loss of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 2011 graduate of the University’s College of Liberal Arts. As a nurse, he worked in a profession rooted in care, compassion and service. Our deepest sympathies are with Alex’s family, loved ones and all who are grieving his death during this deeply painful time for our community. We recognize that many are feeling fear, sadness, anger and confusion as we navigate a complex and challenging moment in our community, our state and our country. During this time we lean on our shared values of inclusion, community, belonging and safety. We ask for care for one another and a commitment to seek understanding and healing.“ Angry Catfish Bicycle & Coffee said: “Alex Pretti was a customer of ACF. A member of our local cycling community. An integral community member serving as a nurse at our local VA hospital. Murdered while standing up to bullies in his city. Then falsely smeared in the media as an agitator with an agenda. Do not believe the lies. He could be anyone of us standing against evil, but evil cannot get us all if we stand against it!“ The parents of Alex Pretti said in a joint statement: “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.“ “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,“ Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek on Saturday. Dr. Aasma Shaukat, a physician and clinical researcher who first hired Pretti as a research assistant in 2014, told Newsweek Sunday: “He wasn’t looking for trouble. He wasn’t instigating anything. It’s disturbing how he’s being portrayed.“ A picture sits at a memorial to Alex Pretti on January 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What Happens Next Multiple investigations into the Pretti shooting are ongoing, including reviews of federal agents’ actions and the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
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