Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse working in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, has been identified as the man killed by federal agents on Saturday. The shooting marks the second fatal incident this month amid a federal crackdown in Minnesota.
Pretti's colleagues and friends expressed shock, describing him as kind and dedicated. 'He wanted to help people,' said Dimitri Drekonja, chief of infectious diseases at the VA hospital. 'He was an outstanding nurse with an infectious spirit.' Pretti had attended nursing school at the University of Minnesota and also worked as a junior scientist.
Pretti's family has disputed the Trump administration's account that he threatened officers with a gun. In a statement, they called the claims 'sickening lies' and said video evidence shows him holding his phone in his right hand with his left hand raised. Video footage appears to show Pretti defending a legal observer before being wrestled to the ground and shot multiple times.
Police chief Brian O'Hara noted that Pretti's only previous law enforcement contact was for traffic tickets and that he was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. The Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses released a statement about his death. Pretti had obtained his nursing licence in 2021, valid through 2026.
