Alex Jeffrey Pretti family come forward to say Minneapolis nurse cared about his community, protested against ICE immigration crackdown along with challenging Trump administration, ‘lies that he instigated shooting and had attacked federal agents.’
In new revelations, the family of slain Minneapolis man, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, had warned the 37-year-old man to ‘be careful,’ when protesting.
The revelation comes as the shooting victim’s family has now come forward to tell their side, insisting that their son was a conscientious, caring man who ‘cared deeply,’ about his fellow community members. The above comments come as the slain man’s family have objected to accusations from the Trump administration that their son instigated the tragedy and was solely to blame to for his own shooting death.
Videos contradicts DHS claims Alex Pretti was a threat
alex pretti clear and slow motion video , end of debate. https://t.co/xlOLO3AJlt
— Gurpreet Garry Walia (@garrywalia_) January 25, 2026
Border Patrol chief defends fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse
‘This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons,’ stated Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem late Saturday.
‘This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers. They responded according to their training and took action to defend the officer’s life and those of the public around him.’
Alex Pretti according to family members, was an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city. The man’s parents described him an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting in adventures and who had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
‘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,’ Michael Pretti, Alex’s father told FOX Carolina. ‘He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.’
Alex Jeffrey Pretti new video angle raises troubling questions
Alex Pretti parents had warned him ‘to be careful when protesting’
Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois. The registered nurse had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a handful of traffic tickets.
In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Colorado, told him to be careful when protesting.
‘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 Pretti told the outlet. ‘And he said he knows that. He knew that.’
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti was shot after he ‘approached’ Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not specify if Pretti brandished the gun. In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon after, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand but none appears to show him with a visible weapon.
Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.
Alex Pretti family release statement challenging ‘sickening lies about their son.’
The family decided to publicly address their son’s shooting death after seeing videos of Trump administration officials suggesting their son was attacking the officers who shot him, they issued a written statement describing themselves as both heartbroken and angry.
‘I do not throw around the term ‘hero’ 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,’ the family’s statement said.
They added that videos showed Alex Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents, but holding his phone with one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper-sprayed.
‘Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man,’ family members said.
