'ICU Nurse Cared About People Deeply': Who Was Alex Pretti, Shot Dead By ICE Agents In Minneapolis?

Family and friends have described 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti as a compassionate man, who “cared about people deeply”, which is why they said he was protesting against the immigration crackdown by the Trump administration when he was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Alex Pretti’s death on Saturday (January 24) was the second such incident in Minneapolis within three weeks of Renee Good’s death at the hands of officers from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to those who knew him, he had dedicated his life to caring for sick veterans, was a nature lover and a lawful gun owner with no criminal history. His father, Michael Pretti, said his son was deeply upset about the immigration crackdowns and viewed

protesting as a way to express his care for others.

Although the family knew Alex owned a handgun and held a valid permit to carry it in Minnesota, they said he was never known to regularly carry it and had no criminal record beyond minor traffic tickets.

“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,” said Michael Pretti. “He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.” 

Before the protest, his parents – who live in Wisconsin – had specifically advised him to be careful and not to engage in anything “stupid”, to which he had reportedly agreed.

“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 said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.” 

For five years, Alex served at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, where he was known for being a “kindhearted soul”. Dr Dimitri Drekonja, chief of infectious diseases at the hospital, described Pretti as a “good, kind person who lived to help”, noting that he even researched ways to prevent veteran deaths from colon cancer. 

“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world,” his parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said in a statement. “Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.”

Outside of his professional life, he was an avid outdoorsman often spotted in the neighbourhood walking his beloved dog, Joule, who also recently died. His neighbour, Jeannie Wiener, described him as “very pleasant, very cordial” and said she never perceived him as a threat.

CNN reported that Alex, a US citizen born in Illinois, graduated from high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2006. He put himself through nursing school by working at the VA hospital and joined its staff after graduating.

This killing has ignited an uproar across the state of Minnesota, sparking political friction with governor Tim Walz demanding a transparent, state-led investigation. He declared the shooting “horrific” and insisted that the federal government could not be trusted to lead the probe. Republican senator Bill Cassidy has called for a joint federal and state investigation, saying the credibility of ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is at stake and that the American people deserve the truth.

Despite Alex’s peaceful reputation, federal officials have sought to paint a different picture with the White House and DHS officials referring to him as an “assassin” who was there to “perpetuate violence”. These claims have been met with fierce resistance from his parents, who called the administration’s narrative “sickening lies”.

The incident took place when Alex was protesting against the killing of Renee Good. While the DHS alleged that officers acted in self-defence after he “approached” them with a 9mm handgun, video footage of the encounter suggests that he was filming the agents and directing traffic before stepping in to protect a woman protester shoved to the ground by an officer. It was only after he was sprayed with a chemical irritant and wrestled to the icy ground that agents discovered a firearm on him and opened fire.

(With agency inputs)