American Shot By ICE Agent IDENTIFIED – Details Released!

A caring ICU nurse with a clean record and a lawful gun permit became the third federal shooting victim in Minneapolis in 17 days, raising urgent questions about who gets caught in the crossfire of immigration enforcement.

Quick Take

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was a U.S. citizen ICU nurse at Minneapolis VA Health Care System with no criminal record beyond traffic tickets
Shot 10 times in 5 seconds by Border Patrol agents on January 24, 2026, during an ICE enforcement operation near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street
Federal officials claimed Pretti approached with a 9mm handgun; video evidence shows him holding a cell phone while filming and directing traffic
His death marks the third federal shooting in Minneapolis within 17 days, following Renee Good’s killing on January 7
The incident exposes deep jurisdictional tensions between federal immigration enforcement and local Minneapolis authorities

Who Was Alex Jeffrey Pretti

Alex Jeffrey Pretti embodied a particular kind of American civic engagement. Born in Illinois and a Preble High School graduate from Green Bay, he chose healthcare as his calling, working as an intensive care unit nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Colleagues described him as a dedicated professional who cared deeply about his patients and his community. He was an avid outdoorsman who owned a dog named Joule, lived lawfully, and held a valid permit to carry a firearm. By every measurable standard, Pretti represented responsible citizenship.

The Morning That Changed Everything

On the morning of January 24, 2026, around 9:00 a.m. CST, U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents conducted what federal officials termed a “targeted” immigration enforcement operation near a restaurant at Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis. The temperature hovered around 10 degrees below zero. Pretti, deeply troubled by the escalating ICE crackdowns in his city, was present as a protester. Rather than remaining passive, he did what many would consider a civic duty: he filmed the federal agents and directed traffic to help vehicles navigate around the enforcement action.

Federal agents ordered bystanders to back up. What happened next unfolded in seconds. Pretti was pepper-sprayed, tackled by multiple agents, struck repeatedly, and shot 10 times within five seconds. Agents performed chest compressions before Pretti was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The confrontation that followed left one Homeland Security Investigations officer with a reported bitten-off finger and scattered objects thrown by protesters.

The Competing Narratives

Here lies the central dispute. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Pretti approached federal agents with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. However, video analyses by The New York Times and Associated Press showed Pretti holding a cell phone, not a firearm. No independent bodycam footage has been released by federal authorities. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed Pretti’s clean record and lawful gun ownership status, then notably denied federal agents access to the crime scene, signaling sharp jurisdictional disagreement.

Why This Moment Matters

Pretti’s death represents a collision of three American tensions: immigration enforcement intensity, federal versus local authority, and the vulnerability of lawfully armed citizens during high-stakes federal operations. He was not an immigration target. He was a U.S. citizen exercising what he believed was his right to protest and document government action. Yet he died in an operation designed to apprehend immigrants, caught between his conscience and federal force.

Who is Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the anti-ICE protester fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis? https://t.co/lZKHSOt5bZ pic.twitter.com/uRqvG3ltZy

— New York Post (@nypost) January 24, 2026

His father Michael spoke about his son’s character. VA colleagues like Dr. Drekonja noted that Pretti’s activism stemmed from genuine concern for his community, describing the city as being in a “dark place” following earlier federal violence. Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus expressed deep concern that a legally armed citizen could be fatally shot during federal enforcement operations. These voices reflect a broader anxiety about what lawful participation in civic life now means when federal agents are operating in your neighborhood.