Parents of Minneapolis Nurse Killed by Federal Agents Recall Final Conversation
The grieving parents of a Minneapolis nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have shared poignant details about their last conversation with their son, which occurred just days before his tragic death. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed by US Border Patrol Tactical Unit officers during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday.
Final Conversation About Garage Repairs and Immigration Tensions
In their final discussion, Pretti spoke with his parents, Susan and Michael Pretti, about repairs to his garage door. He mentioned giving a generous $100 tip to the Latino worker tasked with the job, a gesture made amid heightened immigration tensions in Minnesota. Susan Pretti revealed that her son was deeply troubled by the direction of the United States, particularly criticising the Trump administration's rollback of environmental regulations.
'He loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it,' Susan told the Associated Press. She described her son as an avid outdoorsman who 'took his dog everywhere he went' and expressed his dismay at how people were 'just trashing the land.'
Protest Participation and Parental Concerns
Pretti's parents acknowledged that they were aware of his participation in protests and his profound concern about the ongoing immigration crackdown in Minnesota. '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,' said his father, Michael Pretti.
Michael added that his son thought it was 'terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street.' He explained, 'He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.' Despite this, the parents had urged Pretti to exercise caution while demonstrating, advising him to 'go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid.' Pretti reportedly assured them that 'he knows that.'
Conflicting Accounts of the Shooting
The family first learned of the fatal shooting after receiving a call from an Associated Press reporter. Upon watching video footage, they identified the man shot dead as their son. Pretti's parents then attempted to contact state officials in Minnesota but claimed they struggled to obtain immediate updates, with Michael stating on Saturday, 'I can't get any information from anybody.' They eventually confirmed the death through the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
Federal officials have presented a starkly different narrative. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that officers 'clearly feared for their lives' and fired defensive shots after Pretti 'violently' resisted instructions. She claimed Pretti was 'brandishing' a firearm and suggested he was a domestic terrorist. US Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino alleged that Pretti planned to 'massacre' federal agents when he was killed.
Family's Fierce Dispute of Federal Claims
Pretti's parents have vehemently disputed these accounts, accusing the Trump administration of lying. In a statement, they declared, 'The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.' They clarified that Pretti was shot by US Border Patrol Tactical Unit agents, not ICE officers.
The statement detailed that Pretti had 'his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper-sprayed.' They pleaded, 'Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.'
Remembering a Kindhearted Nurse and Protester
Describing themselves as 'heartbroken but also very angry,' the parents remembered their son as 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. They added, 'Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.'
Minneapolis police noted that Pretti had no serious criminal history and was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit. Witness videos from the scene appeared to show Pretti holding his phone up to the agents, not a gun, as he filmed them arresting a female protester before being tackled. Footage suggested an officer took Pretti's weapon from his waistband moments before he was killed.
Ongoing Investigations and Context
On Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the shooting, with US Customs and Border Protection conducting an internal review. Leavitt stated she had 'not heard' US President Donald Trump characterise Pretti as a domestic terrorist. DHS officials maintain that Pretti approached officers with a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun.
This incident marks the second killing by a federal officer in Minneapolis this month. Pretti was shot just over a mile from where Renee Good, 37, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement operations in the area.
