Posted on 01/24/2026 7:22:34 PM PST by Morgana
The parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the 37-year-old shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, had urged him to “not do anything stupid” while protesting.
Pretti, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, had no prior criminal record before he decided to confront the Border Patrol agents.
The incident occurred one day after a massive protest where tens of thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis to oppose ICE’s operations in the city.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Pretti approached Border Patrol officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and began forcefully resisting orders.
“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” Michael Pretti, Alex’s father, told the Associated Press. “He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.”
Pretti was a United States citizen and was born in Illinois.
His parents, who live in Wisconsin, had spoken to him two weeks ago about not engaging officers during the unrest.
“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”
Relatives told CBS News that “Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that he had a permit to carry.
Pretti’s family learned about his death after seeing the video and thinking that it looked like him.
“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael Pretti told CBS. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions?”
Eventually, they confirmed it was him by calling the medical examiner.
The Department of Homeland Security’s statement about the shooting read in full:
“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.
The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.
Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.
About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.
This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.”
The mayhem is still unfolding in Minneapolis, as hundreds of protesters descended on the area of the shooting and continuously ignored dispersal orders.
And of course, no matter what country they are really from, they are a Maryland father or a Minnesota mother.
I would add that one of the biggest differences between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives have standards; liberals have goals.
He came armed and became physical with the officers and resisted. That was suicide by cop.
We’re hearing the bs narrative from the parents now that he was a good boy that only wanted to do “good” in the community and was all about “peace”. Yeah ok... Gaslight more of the deranged left as that’s the only idiots that will believe this garbage,
Makes you realize how dangerous the medical community is. I wouldn’t trust them to put a DOA tag on my big toe.
They lived in Wisconsin. Not sure where, but if he was actually employed, was he just a weekend warrior that travelled across state lines to protest and threaten ICE officers with his 9mm?
“Healthcare is bound to treat them as PATIENTS.”
Ideally...
“That makes three nutball nurses in the last week”
Nurses are notoriously liberal.
He was a nurse at the Minneapolis VA and his parents live in Colorado according to articles I’ve read. He grew up in Wisconsin.
There are many things sensible people can do to avoid ending up dead. Even Tom the Son has made it to almost 30.
Prayers for the doa and family. He cared deeply for people but only those committing vicious crimes. It is a good thing that he is no longer.near helpless patients he may have wanted to eliminate to get his way.
“Obama groomed a generation of agitators to transform America”
Of course! It’s not as if he didn’t warn us. He promised to “fundamentally transform” the USA. Plus, we all knew that his history was in “community organizing”, i.e., terrorism.
Think how much better he would feel if he had stayed home and minded his business.
“Just for the record, I am happy that he died.”
I think I’m not exactly happy that he died, but I sure am GLAD. “Glad” lasts longer, is stronger, and goes deeper, than “happy”.
You are right. Glad is a better word. I am glad he died.
He chose poorly.
The Army should have pacified Minneapolis a week ago.
If they had, this guy would be alive.
I don't understand why many of these protesters do what they do. Some years ago "campus" protesters decided they would shut down an interstate highway near campus late at night in SCAL. One of the protester was severely injured for the cause. I don't even remember what the protest was about..
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