The family of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead in Minneapolis on Saturday, expressed grief and anger in a statement rejecting the administration’s account of the incident.
In their statement, the family said
that “the sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” adding that Pretti was unarmed at the time and “clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
The family described Pretti as a kindhearted person who cared deeply for his family, friends and the veterans he treated as an ICU nurse, and urged the public to help get the truth out about his death.
They alleged that Pretti was unarmed at the time of the shooting, saying he was holding a phone in his right hand while his empty left hand was raised as he tried to shield the woman after she was pushed to the ground, all while being pepper-sprayed.
They said Pretti wanted to make a difference in the world and described him as a hero, stating that his final act was to protect a woman during the encounter.
Calling the administration’s account of events “reprehensible and disgusting,” the family urged the public to help get the truth out about their son, saying he was a good man whose life was cut short.
Family of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead in Minneapolis today, releases 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.” pic.twitter.com/PnggMiVUb6
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 25, 2026
Videos verified by Reuters show Pretti standing in the street, filming immigration agents with his cellphone as tensions escalated. At one point, an agent appears to deploy pepper spray toward Pretti and nearby protesters. As he attempts to shield himself and help others, multiple agents rush him, wrestle him to the ground, and strike him in the head and body.
While Pretti is held on the pavement, one of the agents draws a firearm and multiple shots are fired. His body is later seen lying in the street as agents pull back.
The incident quickly drew hundreds of protesters to the neighborhood, prompting masked and armed federal agents to use tear gas and flashbang grenades to disperse the crowds.
The shooting comes amid daily protests in Minneapolis and the surrounding Twin Cities region, where demonstrators have called for federal law enforcement to leave the area. On Friday, thousands took to the streets in freezing temperatures to protest the enforcement operation, which critics say has created heightened tensions with local communities.
Since January 7, residents in Minneapolis and the surrounding Twin Cities have frequently taken to the streets in protest after 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good — a mother of three who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a federal immigration enforcement operation, was killed, an incident that drew national attention and sparked sustained demonstrations across Minnesota and beyond.
