Alex Pretti’s parents say they were left in the dark after their 37-year-old son was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents — learning of his death not from authorities, but from a reporter.
Michael and Susan Pretti say they received no official phone call, no knock on the door, and no immediate notification from law enforcement after their son was killed during a federal operation in Minneapolis.
Instead, they were contacted by an Associated Press reporter, a revelation that has sparked fresh outrage both locally and online.
“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Alex’s father told AP on Saturday. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.”
Only after frantic calls to officials did the family reach the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, where they were told there was a body matching their son’s identity and description.
Conflicting accounts and disturbing footage
The fatal encounter unfolded shortly before 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, when Alex Pretti was pinned to the ground by multiple federal agents.
Authorities claim he was armed and violently resisted, but eyewitnesses and videos circulating online tell a very different story.
Footage appears to show Pretti holding a phone — not a weapon — as agents tackled him. Witnesses say he was shot while restrained on the ground, with reports indicating that at least 10 shots were fired in just five seconds.
After reviewing the videos, Pretti’s parents said they immediately recognized the man being struck by agents as their son.
Family slams official narrative
In a blistering statement, the family accused the government of spreading falsehoods about Alex’s final moments.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the statement reads.
They added that Alex was not holding a firearm when he was attacked.
“He has 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.”
The statement ended with a plea:
“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Micayla Pretti, Alex Pretti’s younger sister, also remembered her brother in a heartfelt statement Monday, describing him as a “kind, generous” person who “had a way of lighting up every room he walked into.”
She called him her hero and spoke about the immense loss the family feels after his death at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.
A life defined by service
Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs facility, remembered by his parents as a “kind-hearted soul” who devoted his life to caring for others.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world,” Michael and Susan Pretti said. “Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Alex graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006 and earned a degree from the University of Minnesota in 2011. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.
Protests, politics, and public outrage
Pretti had taken part in protests following the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer. His ex-wife said she wasn’t surprised by his activism, noting that he had also protested after George Floyd’s death in 2020.
She described him as someone who might shout during demonstrations but was never physically confrontational.
After the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security claimed agents fired in self-defense.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS said in a statement.
But Pretti’s family strongly disputes the official story, saying the American nurse — who was a lawful gun owner with a permit — was not threatening anyone when he was tackled by agents. They say he was trying to shield a woman from being pepper-sprayed, not engaging in violence.
Within just 24 hours, as multiple videos of the shooting spread across social media and news sites, it became obvious that the White House’s initial response was out of step with both public opinion and what people could clearly see with their own eyes. Since then, the administration — including President Trump himself — has shifted tactics, leaning into blame against Democrats for the unrest and placing less emphasis on the actions of the American nurse who was killed.
‘That’s appalling’
But public reaction has been swift and furious, particularly over the fact that Alex’s parents learned of his death through the media.
“No one picked up the phone to inform them that their son had been killed,” one commenter wrote.
“That’s appalling that poor family! Their son was obviously a good man trying to protect a woman from bullies,” another said.
“I’m absolutely disgusted by my country,” one post read. “This week has been one of the worst.”
The American Federation of Government Employees has also condemned the Trump administration’s response to the killing of Alex Pretti.
In a statement released Monday, AFGE Local 3669 honored Pretti’s life and rejected attempts to mischaracterize him: “Alex was a son, a colleague, and a fellow union brother, not an ‘assassin’ or a ‘domestic terrorist.”
The union also called for a “full, transparent, independent third-party investigation” into the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death.
AFGE went on to highlight what they say Pretti was doing at the time he was killed:
“Alex died while protecting a woman and exercising his First and Second Amendment rights. He was dedicated to caring for veterans and treated them with decency and respect, sometimes in their final moments – which is the exact opposite of how he was treated during his,” the statement said.
How do you feel about Alex Pretti’s parents learning of his death from a reporter instead of being notified by law enforcement?
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