Alex Jeffrey Pretti Obituary, Death;- On Saturday morning, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen holding a lawful firearms permit and possessing no criminal history, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Pretti, aged 37, became the fifth individual to be fatally shot by federal agents since the Trump administration deployed federal troops to cities across America under the guise of immigration enforcement last year. He worked as an intensive care nurse and, according to eyewitness accounts and bystander recordings, seemed to spend his last moments assisting a woman who had been pepper sprayed by federal immigration agents.
“Alex aspired to make a positive impact in this world. Regrettably, he will not be here to witness the difference he could have made,” his parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, stated in a release on Saturday.
Pretti’s father informed the AP that his son had participated in protests following the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. The two shootings, occurring two and a half weeks apart and less than one mile from each other, highlight the fear and violence inflicted upon U.S. cities by the Trump administration. Since Trump resumed office one year ago, The Trace has documented 19 instances where agents discharged their weapons at civilians — in addition to another 36 incidents where agents held individuals at gunpoint. As of 2026, Minneapolis has experienced only three deaths related to firearms, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Of those, two victims were killed by federal immigration agents.
In the hours following Pretti’s death, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the deceased as a “domestic terrorist” — a term the administration had similarly applied to Good in the wake of her death.
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino speculated during a press conference on Saturday that Pretti, who was legally authorized to carry a firearm in Minnesota, had intended to use his weapon to “inflict maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Bovino’s account of Saturday’s shooting describes a group of law enforcement officers who initially tried to disarm Pretti, then fired “defensive shots” after Pretti “violently resisted.” But Pretti’s death, like Good’s, was videotaped from multiple angles by onlookers — civilians in Minneapolis who wanted to document the violence that is unfolding in the city. Those videos show Pretti holding a cell phone, not a gun, before he was tackled and repeatedly shot by Border Patrol agents. (Carrying a concealed firearm is legal for permit-holders in Minnesota, even at a protest.)
The Department of Homeland Security is being sued for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of Minnesota residents who observe the agency’s immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. On Saturday, attorneys for the plaintiffs filed court documents containing multiple statements from people who witnessed Pretti’s death. The statements, taken under oath, contradict Trump officials’ retelling of the shooting.
“I don’t know why they shot him,” one eyewitness said. “He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.”
Another witness — a physician who attempted to treat Pretti — said agents did not administer emergency medical care after the shooting.
“Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice,” the doctor said. Instead, the agents “appeared to be counting” the “bullet wounds” in Pretti’s body.
Late Saturday, a judge issued an emergency court order prohibiting federal authorities from destroying evidence related to Pretti’s killing.
