MINNEAPOLIS, — The 37-year-old man fatally shot Saturday during a confrontation with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has been identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, according to family members and colleagues.
Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, described him as “a kindhearted soul” committed to helping others, including the veterans he treated in critical care. Colleagues said he had worked at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System for several years and supported critically ill patients.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents fired in self-defense after Pretti allegedly approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him. DHS said medics provided aid at the scene, but he was pronounced dead.
Local officials have said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and that court records showed no criminal charges beyond traffic and parking violations, adding to scrutiny of the federal account as videos circulated from the scene.
Pretti’s family disputed the characterization of him as a threat, saying he was attempting to protect another person near the agents when he was shot, and condemned what they described as misleading official claims about his actions.
The shooting has intensified tensions in Minneapolis, where federal immigration operations have sparked repeated demonstrations in recent weeks. The incident occurred less than three weeks after another fatal shooting involving a federal immigration officer in the city, the death of Renee Good, which the Hennepin County medical examiner has classified as a homicide (a medical-legal designation that does not automatically imply criminal wrongdoing).
Civil rights groups and Minnesota officials have called for a thorough, independent accounting of Saturday’s shooting and for the preservation and release of key evidence, including body-worn and surveillance video, as investigations proceed.
Federal and local authorities have not publicly announced arrests connected to the shooting, and details about the chain of command, participating agencies, and investigative jurisdiction remain under review as the case draws national attention.
