On January 24, 2026, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by a federal law enforcement officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an ongoing federal immigration enforcement operation that has drawn national attention and local protests.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen and an intensive care unit nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, where coworkers remember him as compassionate and dedicated to patient care.
Local authorities, including the Minneapolis Police Chief, confirmed the shooting involved a Border Patrol agent — part of increased federal deployments in the area tied to immigration enforcement. This incident marked the second fatal shooting of a civilian by federal agents in Minneapolis in January 2026, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Good earlier in the month.
Federal officials stated that Pretti approached agents while armed with a 9 mm handgun and resisted efforts to be disarmed, which they say led to the agent firing his weapon. However, video footage circulating of the incident shows Pretti being pepper-sprayed and pinned to the ground, with one person nearby appearing to hold a phone rather than a weapon — raising questions and public debate over the official account.
Pretti had no significant criminal history and held a Minnesota firearm permit, and friends and family described him as peaceful and community-minded. His death has triggered widespread outrage, protests, and calls for transparency and accountability, with community members and officials pushing for a thorough, independent investigation into the circumstances of the shooting.
The killing has become part of larger anti-ICE protests across Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, with demonstrators demanding changes to federal immigration enforcement tactics and accountability for fatal encounters involving federal agents.
