Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Alex Pretti shooting has left people in this city reeling, with questions piling up about what really happened on a busy street last Saturday morning. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who worked long shifts saving lives, ended up dead after federal immigration agents opened fire during a tense confrontation. What started as another day in a massive enforcement push turned deadly fast, and now everyone from neighbours to national leaders wants answers.
It all went down around 9 a.m. on January 24 near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in the Whittier neighbourhood. Federal agents from Customs and Border Protection were out there as part of Operation Metro Surge, a big operation that kicked off earlier this month.
Officials say they’ve made more than 3,000 arrests of people with serious criminal records in the area alone. The goal, they claim, is to clear the streets of dangerous individuals. But critics point out that the heavy presence has led to clashes, protests, and now fatalities.
Pretti wasn’t just some bystander. A week before the shooting, he got involved when he saw agents detaining someone. Witnesses say he started shouting and blowing a whistle to draw attention.
Things escalated quickly – five agents tackled him to the ground, and he ended up with a broken rib. He told friends he feared for his safety after that and even went looking for pain relief, worried the agents might come after him again.
On the day he died, videos circulating online show Pretti approaching a group of agents. Some footage has him holding what looks like a phone, filming the scene.
Federal officials first said he came at them with a 9mm handgun, ready to cause harm. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem went on TV calling him a direct threat who assaulted officers and tried to “massacre” them. She stood firm on that early story, saying the agents acted to protect themselves and others.
But as more videos surfaced and witnesses spoke out, the picture got murkier. Sworn statements from people at the scene say Pretti never pulled out a gun or threatened anyone with it. One doctor watching from a nearby window described him yelling but not attacking.
Another person close by said he was trying to help a protester who’d been pushed down. Frame-by-frame looks at the clips show an agent pulling a pistol from the struggle – possibly Pretti’s, since he had a concealed carry permit – and then moments later, shots ringing out while Pretti was pinned on the ground.
A recent internal report sent to Congress backs up some of that doubt. It confirms two agents fired their weapons, but doesn’t mention Pretti drawing his gun or fighting back in a way that justified the shots.
Ten bullets in quick succession, according to audio breakdowns. After he went down, some accounts say agents weren’t giving aid right away, just checking the wounds.
People who knew Pretti best paint a different picture of the man. Colleagues at the hospital where he worked in the ICU called him kind-hearted and dedicated. He spent his days – and nights – caring for the sickest patients, the kind of nurse who went out of his way to comfort families.
Friends remembered him as an outdoors guy who loved biking trails around the Twin Cities. No one saw him as violent or looking for trouble.
The backlash came swift. Protests filled the streets that same weekend, with crowds gathering at the spot where he fell, leaving flowers and candles. Signs demanded justice and an end to the federal surge.
Some politicians, even from across the aisle, called for investigations into how agents are trained and when they can use force. There are shouts for firings, probes into Noem’s handling of the info, and pulls on funding for the operation.
Noem stuck to her guns in press conferences, repeating that Pretti brought a loaded firearm to a law enforcement action and put lives at risk. White House officials echoed parts of that but started walking back the strongest claims as videos spread. Body camera footage exists, they say, and it’s under review along with everything else.
This isn’t the first deadly encounter in Minneapolis tied to the surge. Another shooting weeks earlier raised similar alarms. Folks here are tracking agent movements through apps and social media, trying to stay one step ahead. Hotels thought to house federal teams have seen standoffs and arrests of protesters.
For Pretti’s family, the pain is raw. They’re pushing for transparency, wanting the full story out there. As the investigation drags on – handled by multiple agencies – the city holds its breath. What happened to Alex Pretti touches on bigger fights: immigration rules, gun rights, police tactics, and trust in government actions.
In coffee shops and online forums, Minnesotans keep debating. Was this a tragic mistake in a heated moment, or something that points to deeper problems in how these operations run? One thing’s clear – a nurse who helped so many won’t be coming home, and that loss hangs heavy over the community.
