Alex Pretti (often misspelled “Pretty”) was a 37‑year‑old intensive care nurse in Minneapolis who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a federal immigration enforcement operation on January 24, 2026.

What happened to Alex Pretti?

According to news and public reports, federal immigration agents were conducting a raid or enforcement action in Minneapolis when Alex approached the scene and began confronting officers about what they were doing. Federal officials say he arrived armed with a handgun and intended to kill law enforcement, and they have publicly labeled him a “domestic terrorist.”

Multiple eyewitness accounts and bystander videos, however, reportedly do not show him brandishing a weapon in the moments before he was shot. A witness statement filed in court says Alex “did not brandish a weapon of any kind” and that agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds after the shooting. His family acknowledges he legally owned a handgun and had a permit to carry but disputes the claim that he posed an immediate threat when he was killed.

Who was Alex Pretti?

Alex J. Pretti was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and a U.S. citizen. Colleagues and relatives describe him as a compassionate, skilled nurse who was outspoken and deeply troubled by the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.

He had become involved in or at least very concerned about civil rights and immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, which was already tense after a separate case where federal officers shot and killed another local resident, Renée Good, earlier in the month. His death has intensified those tensions and sparked new protests.

Why is this such a big story?

Alex’s killing is drawing national and international attention because:

  • It is the second time in the same month that federal immigration agents have shot and killed a civilian in Minneapolis.
  • There are sharply conflicting narratives: federal officials describe “defensive shots” against a violent threat, while state officials and witnesses call that account false or misleading.
  • Bystander videos and a sworn witness statement seem to contradict the federal claim that he was visibly threatening officers with a gun.
  • The shooting is tied to wider controversy over President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement push and deployment of heavily armed federal agents in U.S. cities.

Minnesota’s governor and attorney general have publicly pushed back on the federal account, calling it “nonsense” and vowing that the state justice system “will have the last word” on the shooting. The state attorney general has also filed a lawsuit to prevent destruction of evidence related to Alex’s death, reflecting deep distrust of how federal agencies are handling the case.

Ongoing investigations and open questions

Several things are still unfolding:

  1. State vs federal investigations
    • Minnesota officials are trying to secure evidence (videos, ballistics, body‑cam or surveillance data) and have gone to court to stop any destruction of records.
 * Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol, are conducting their own internal reviews and have released photos of a handgun they say belonged to Alex.
  1. Key disputed points
    • Whether Alex actually brandished his gun or pointed it at officers before they opened fire.
 * Whether agents followed proper use‑of‑force policy given the distance, circumstances, and his behavior on video.

 * Whether the labeling of Alex as a “domestic terrorist” was justified or politically motivated.
  1. Legal and civil rights fallout
    • Civil rights groups and local activists are linking his killing to broader concerns about federal overreach and the chilling of protest rights.
 * At least one class‑action lawsuit has cited Alex’s shooting as evidence of intimidation tactics by immigration authorities in Minneapolis.

Given how recent this is, details may change as more video, forensic evidence, and witness testimony are reviewed, and official investigations move forward.

TL;DR:
Alex Pretti was a Minneapolis VA ICU nurse who was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation on January 24, 2026. Federal officials say he was an armed domestic terrorist trying to kill officers, while eyewitnesses, family, and Minnesota leaders say he did not visibly threaten agents and was wrongfully killed, turning the case into a major flashpoint over immigration enforcement and federal power.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.