TL;DR: Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent on January 24, 2026. He was filming federal agents with his cellphone. The feds claim he approached with a gun and "violently resisted." Video tells a different story, showing agents removed a gun from his waistband before another agent opened fire. This is the second federal killing in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. Governor Tim Walz called the federal account "nonsense." Hundreds protested. Federal agents deployed tear gas and flashbangs. Minnesota officials are fighting for access to investigate.
Saturday Morning, Minneapolis
January 24, 2026. Just before 9 a.m. Nicollet Avenue and West 26th Street. South Minneapolis.
Federal agents were conducting an immigration operation. Protesters had gathered to oppose them. Tensions have been sky-high since ICE killed Renee Good on January 7.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti was there with his cellphone, filming. He'd participated in protests after Good's death. He was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. He cared for American veterans. He was a lawful gun owner with a concealed carry permit.
By 9 a.m., he was dead.
What the Feds Claim
The Department of Homeland Security's story: Pretti "approached Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun" and "violently resisted" attempts to disarm him. The agent fired "defensive shots."
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino doubled down: "It looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
Read that again. An ICU nurse who spent his days saving veterans' lives, accused of wanting to "massacre law enforcement."
DHS hasn't provided any evidence to support this account.
What the Video Shows
Multiple bystander videos tell a completely different story.
Pretti was holding his cellphone. His empty left hand was raised. Federal agents deployed pepper spray at him and other protesters. As he tried to block the spray and help others, multiple agents tackled him and wrestled him to the ground.
Then it gets worse.
Video shows an agent removing a gun from Pretti's waistband while he's on the ground. Then, after the gun was already taken, another agent opened fire.
Investigators from Bellingcat reviewed the footage: "A gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired." At least 10 shots can be heard. Most were fired "after a brief delay, when the man is already lying motionless."
His parents said it clearly: "Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head."
Local Officials Aren't Buying It
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed what the feds won't admit: "We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry."
Governor Tim Walz didn't hold back. After reviewing the videos, he called the federal account "nonsense" and posted: "Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The president must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now."
Senator Tina Smith said federal agents "beat and then shot multiple times and killed" Pretti.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tried to access the scene. Federal agents blocked them. State investigators got a warrant from a judge. Federal agents still blocked them.
The Hennepin County Attorney's office has filed a lawsuit trying to "prevent the destruction of evidence."
Who Was Alex Pretti?
He grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Played football, baseball, ran track. Was a Boy Scout. Sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.
Graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a degree in biology, society and environment. Worked as a research scientist. Then went back to school to become a nurse.
He worked at the Minneapolis VA hospital, caring for veterans in the ICU. An avid outdoorsman who loved adventures with his dog Joule.
His parents' statement: "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."
They also condemned "the sickening lies told about our son by the administration."
The Pattern
This is the third shooting (and second fatality) involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis in less than three weeks.
- January 7, 2026: ICE agent Jonathan Ross kills Renee Good, 37, a mother of three. DHS calls her a "domestic terrorist."
- January 14, 2026: Federal agents shoot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
- January 24, 2026: Border Patrol agent kills Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse. DHS says he wanted to "massacre law enforcement."
Two dead. Both 37. Both U.S. citizens. Both posthumously smeared by the federal government.
The pattern is clear: shoot first, spin the narrative, block investigations, destroy reputations.
Minneapolis Isn't Taking This
Hundreds of protesters flooded the streets after the shooting. Federal agents responded with tear gas and flashbang grenades.
The standoff between state and federal authorities continues. Minnesota officials are demanding federal troops leave. The administration is demanding they stay.
ICE has arrested more than 100 people in Maine this week alone. The crackdown isn't limited to Minneapolis. But Minneapolis is where the bodies are piling up.
The Surveillance State Connection
Pretti was filming federal agents. Recording their activities. Documenting what they do.
That's legal. That's constitutionally protected. That's exactly what citizens should do when armed federal agents operate in their neighborhoods.
But in 2026 America, filming the watchers can get you killed. Pretti had a gun he never drew. He was holding a phone. And now he's dead.
Federal agents increasingly operate masked, without visible identification. When you can't identify who's shooting you, accountability becomes impossible. That's the point.
What You Can Do
Document from Distance
Recording federal operations is your right. But keep your distance. Stream directly to the cloud; your phone might not survive the encounter.
Know What's Coming
Follow local immigrant rights organizations. They track ICE operations in real time. Being warned is being prepared.
Demand State Action
Your state officials have more power than you think. Governor Walz is fighting back. Pressure your state to do the same.
Support the Family
Legal fights cost money. The Pretti family is challenging federal lies. Support them and organizations fighting for accountability.
The Second Killing
Alex Pretti went out Saturday morning to film federal agents operating in his city. He was legally armed, something millions of Americans are. He was holding his phone, not his gun.
Federal agents tackled him. Removed his gun. Then shot him anyway. At least 10 times. While he was on the ground. Motionless.
Then the feds called him a would-be mass murderer.
This is what immigration enforcement looks like now. Two dead Americans in Minneapolis in 17 days. Both smeared. Both denied justice. Both killed by agents of a government that refuses to be investigated.
Watch the videos. They're everywhere. See what happened with your own eyes. Then ask yourself: who are the real threats here?
References
- NPR - Man shot dead by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis (January 24, 2026)
- NBC News - Man fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis identified as ICU nurse Alex Pretti
- Al Jazeera - Federal agents shoot and kill another US citizen in Minneapolis (January 24, 2026)
- CBS News Minnesota - Federal agents fatally shoot another Minneapolis resident (January 24, 2026)
- KARE11 - 'Alex wanted to make a difference in the world' - Family statement (January 2026)
- FOX 9 - Minneapolis shooting: What we know about Alex Pretti (January 24, 2026)