Family of ICU Nurse Killed by Federal Agents Remember His 'Kindhearted Soul,' Call DHS' Account of Shooting 'Sickening Lies' Alex Pretti's loved ones said he "wanted to make a difference in this world" before his Jan. 24 shooting death

 U.S. immigration agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking fierce protests and condemnations from local leaders in the second such incident this month.

The Department of Homeland Security characterized the incident as an attack, saying a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man approached with a handgun and violently resisted attempts to disarm him.

But bystander videos from the scene, verified and reviewed by Reuters, showed the man, identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, holding a phone in his hand, not a gun, as he tries to help other protesters who have been pushed to the ground by agents.

As the videos begin, Pretti can be seen filming as a federal agent pushes away one woman and shoves another woman to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and the women, then raises his left arm to shield himself as the agent pepper-sprays him.

Several agents then take hold of Pretti, who struggles with them, and force him onto his hands and knees. As the agents pin down Pretti, someone shouts what sounds like a warning about the presence of a gun. Video footage then appears to show one of the agents removing a gun from Pretti and stepping away from the group with it.

Moments later, an officer with a handgun pointed at Pretti's back fires four shots at him in quick succession, footage shows. Several more shots can then be heard as another agent appears to fire at Pretti.

The agents initially all back away from Pretti’s body on the road. Some agents then seem to offer medical assistance to Pretti as he lies on the ground, as other agents keep bystanders back.

The shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse, drew hundreds of protesters to the neighborhood to confront the armed and masked agents, who deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades. Demonstrations also broke out in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, among other cities.

It also raised tensions between state and federal officials, already at odds with the Trump administration over the shooting of another U.S. citizen, Renee Good, on January 7.

They have refused to allow local officials to participate in their investigation of the incident.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters the man killed on Saturday had attacked agents on an immigration raid, though she did not say whether he pulled out his weapon. Federal officials posted an image of the gun they say Pretti was carrying at the time of the shooting.

"He wasn't there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence," Noem said at a news conference.

Local leaders, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, questioned that account.

Item 1 of 12 A woman reacts next to a makeshift memorial at the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

[1/12]A woman reacts next to a makeshift memorial at the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

"I've seen the video from several angles and it's sickening," Walz said. "The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation - the state will handle it."

The head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Drew Evans, told reporters that federal agents blocked his team's attempts to begin an investigation on Saturday.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the man who was killed was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record other than traffic violations.

As people protested the shooting, city police and state troopers arrived to manage the crowd. The situation appeared to have calmed late Saturday after federal agents left the area, though protesters remained on the streets for hours afterward.

Local officials pleaded for restraint. "Please do not destroy our city," O'Hara said.

The nearby Minneapolis Institute of Art said it had closed for the day due to safety concerns, and the National Basketball Association postponed a Minnesota Timberwolves game.

MAYOR, GOVERNOR CALL FOR OPERATION TO END

Walz and other local and state officials called for an immediate end to the Trump administration's local immigration enforcement operations.

"How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?" Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press conference.

Trump accused local elected officials of stirring up opposition.

"The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric," the Republican president wrote on social media.

Vice President JD Vance, who visited the city on Thursday, accused local leaders of refusing to provide local police support to immigration agents. That drew a fierce response from Walz, who said the immigration crackdown has strained local police resources.

The shooting came one day after more than 10,000 people took to the frigid streets to protest the crackdown.

Before Saturday's shooting, residents had already been angered by several incidents, including the killing of Good, the detention of a U.S. citizen who was taken from his home in his shorts, and the detention of school children, including a 5-year-old boy.

The family of Alex Pretti, the man who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, is speaking out and hitting back at claims made about the ICU nurse.

In a statement, obtained by CNN, Pretti's loved ones began, "We are heartbroken but also very angry."

"Alex was 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 continued. "Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact."

Pretti's family then gave more insight into his final moments, indicating that he may have been attempting to "protect a woman" before he was fatally shot.

The scene of the Minneapolis shooting on Jan. 24.

Arthur Maiorella/Anadolu via Getty

The family next took aim at the United States' leadership under President Donald Trump, writing in their statement, "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting."

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleged in a statement to PEOPLE that Pretti "approached" U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and "violently resisted" as they attempted to disarm him.

She said an agent then fired "defensive shots." Pretty was 37.

During a press conference after the shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was questioned about the DHS's account of the incident. He referred to footage captured from the scene, stating, "The video speaks for itself."

Pretti's family also questioned the DHS's account, writing in their statement, "Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs."

"He has his phone in his right han,d 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 continued, then concluding: "Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you."

Alex Pretti.

va.gov

McLaughlin's statement to PEOPLE said "DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault" at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Jan. 24.

At least 200 protesters arrived near the scene of the shooting soon after, The Associated Press reported, leading to confrontations between federal law enforcement and locals.

During the Jan. 24 press conference, O'Hara said preliminary details about the incident suggested that there was "more than one law enforcement officer involved in the discharge." He also pointed to "public video that shows several law enforcement officers in a scuffle with someone."

Pretti's nursing license, obtained by PEOPLE, shows he has been a registered nurse since January 2021 and previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Alex Pretti, the man who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, is being remembered by his high school friend as a non-violent individual.

After Pretti, 37, was shot dead by U.S. Border Patrol officers on Saturday, Jan. 24, his pal from his teenage years, Rory Shefchek, tells PEOPLE exclusively, "It's just so crazy to see this."

"I've been following everything going on, and I'm not really a political person, I'm gonna be honest with you, but when you see somebody you know, [it hurts]."

Describing Pretty, an ICU nurse, as "a good dude," Shefchek, also 37, adds, "He was always a really nice guy."

The scene of the Minneapolis shooting on Jan. 24.

Arthur Maiorella/Anadolu via Getty 

Pretti and Shefchek were in the same grade at Preble High School in Wisconsin. They graduated together in 2006.

Recalling what Pretti was like as a teen, Shefchek tells PEOPLE, "He was involved in a lot of extracurriculars and stuff, and I just always thought he was a great dude. ... He was funny. He was very talented."

"We did choir and solo ensemble together," he continues. "He played football too. I mean, he was just your average all-American guy. He got along with everybody."

"I met him, and I immediately thought he was just somebody you could just talk to right away, like, 'Oh, this guy's really a warm and welcoming kind of person,' " adds Shefchek.

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleged in a statement to PEOPLE that Pretti "approached" U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and "violently resisted" as they attempted to disarm him on Jan. 24. She said an agent then fired "defensive shots."

At least 200 protesters arrived near the scene of the shooting soon after, leading to confrontations between federal law enforcement and locals, The Associated Press reported.

At a press conference after the shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that, to his knowledge, Pretti's only previous interaction with law enforcement was for parking tickets.

He added that Pretti was a “lawful gun owner” with a permit.

Alex Pretti, the scene of the Minneapolis shooting on Jan. 24.

va.gov;Getty

Shefchek tells PEOPLE he and Pretti went to different colleges after high school, but they stayed in touch through social media.

After news of Pretti's death became public on Jan. 24, Shefchek — a consultant for an insurance company — says many who knew the man are shocked. "The first thing I did was reach out to some other classmates and my family, and I was like, 'This is crazy,' " he says. "Everybody's posting pictures of him, and we're just all like, 'How could this happen to somebody like that?' "

"This seems really odd. It's not like [he was] somebody who was an agitator ... or somebody who was controversial," continues Shefchek, adding: "I hope people don't think this is a guy that was out there trying to pick a fight with law enforcement. I really don't think that's the case. That'd be so out of character. This is a guy that should be remembered as a happy-go-lucky, nice guy."

Overall, Pretti's childhood friend says the man's death "infuriates" him. He explains, "It's easy to detach yourself when it's not people you know. ... [So] it's really weird to hear somebody from your little small town of a hundred thousand people is literally dead."