‘Reprehensible and disgusting’: Alex Pretti’s family responds to federal justification for shooting

(NEXSTAR) – The family of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, pushed back against the Trump administration in a statement released hours after their son’s death.

“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” Michael and Susan Pretti said in a statement shared with several outlets, including The Associated Press and CNN.

The statement continued:

“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. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.

“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. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed.

“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”

What happened to Alex Pretti?

In videos obtained by witnesses – one of which can be seen in the video player below – protesters can be heard blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.

An officer then appears to shove a person wearing a brown jacket, skirt, and black tights. That person reaches out for a man, later identified as Pretti, who embraces them. Pretti can be seen holding his phone toward the officer who then shoves him in the chest.

Pretti and the other person fall back as least seven officers surround Pretti.

One is on his back, and another who appears to have a canister in his hand strikes a blow to his chest. Several officers try to bring Pretti’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly visible. The officer with the canister strikes him near his head several times.

A shot rings out, but with officers surrounding the man, it’s not clear where it came from. Multiple officers back off. More shots are heard. Officers back away, and the man lies motionless on the street.

Video: Fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. This video may be alarming to some; viewers discretion is advised.

Pretti’s parents said they first learned of the shooting when they were called by an Associated Press reporter. They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota.

“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael Pretti told the outlet on Saturday. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.”

Eventually, the parents called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son. As of Saturday evening, the Prettis told the AP they had not heard from anyone at Border Patrol regarding Alex’s death.

Who was Alex Pretti?

Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.

After graduation, he went to the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment, according to the family. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Michael Pretti via AP)

Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, Chief of Infectious Diseases Section at the Minneapolis VA, wrote on Bluesky that Pretti was a “good kind person who lived to help and these f—— executed him.”

Pretti’s ex-wife, who spoke to the AP but later said she didn’t want her name used, said she had not spoken to him since they divorced more than two years ago and she moved to another state. She said he was a Democratic voter and that he had participated in the wave of street protests following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, not far from the couple’s neighborhood. She described him as someone who might shout at law enforcement officers at a protest, but she had never known him to be physically confrontational.

She said Pretti got a permit to carry a concealed firearm about three years ago and that he owned at least one semiautomatic handgun when they separated.

Pretti’s neighbor, Sue Gitar, described him as “a wonderful person” with “a great heart.” His neighbors knew he had guns — he’d occasionally take a rifle to shoot at a gun range — but were surprised at the idea that he might carry a pistol on the streets.

“I never thought of him as a person who carried a gun,” said Gitar.

A competitive bicycle racer who lavished care on his new Audi, Pretti had also been deeply attached to his dog, who died about a year ago.

His parents said their last conversation with their son was a couple days before his death. They talked about repairs he had done to the garage door of his home. The worker was a Latino man, and they said with all that was happening in Minneapolis he gave the man a $100 tip.

Pretti’s mother said her son cared immensely about the direction the county was headed, especially the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations.

“He hated that, you know, people were just trashing the land,” Susan Pretti said. “He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.”

What have President Trump, others said?

The president weighed in on social media by lashing out at Gov. Tim Walz and the Minneapolis mayor. He shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered and said: “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”

Trump said the Democratic governor and mayor are “are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.”

Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander leading Trump’s crackdown, was repeatedly pressed on CNN’s Sunday “State of the Union” for evidence that Pretti did anything illegal or assaulted law enforcement, as officials have claimed.

Bovino said it was “very evident” that Pretti was not following the officers’ orders.
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks with Federal agents outside a convenience store on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
“It’s too bad the consequences had to be paid because he injected himself into that crime scene,” he said. “He made the decision.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a letter to Walz on Saturday, reportedly outlined terms to “restore the rule of law” in Minnesota. She called on Walz to release information about the state’s welfare programs, get rid of immigration sanctuary policies, and let the Department of Justice review voter roles, Nexstar’s The Hill reported.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have threatened to block a funding package if it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security, increasing the risk of a partial government shutdown at the end of January.

“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said in a statement. “Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”