(A hauntingly prophetic conversation has surfaced between Alex Jeffrey Pretti and his father just days before the 37-year-old ICU nurse was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, sparking a national firestorm over constitutional rights and federal accountability.)
Before joining the protests that would ultimately claim his life, Alex Pretti received a blunt, five-word warning from his father, Michael Pretti: “Do not do anything stupid”. The elder Pretti had encouraged his son to exercise his right to protest the ongoing immigration crackdown but urged him not to engage or escalate. Tragically, while friends and family say Alex remained “harmless” and calm, he was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents on January 24, 2026, at the intersection of 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem have labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” claiming he approached officers with a 9mm handgun. However, bystander video and witness testimony sharply contradict this narrative. Footage shows Pretti holding a cellphone—not a weapon—and attempting to shield a woman who had been shoved to the ground by agents. While Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, video analysis suggests he was tackled and disarmed by one agent seconds before other agents opened fire, hitting him at least 10 times as he lay pinned to the ground.
The killing has ignited a “historic hinge moment” for the administration. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has slammed the federal account as “nonsense and lies,” while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has demanded the immediate withdrawal of federal agents from city streets. As the State of Minnesota sues to preserve evidence and gain access to the crime scene, the “prescient” warning from Alex’s father stands as a grim reminder of a life dedicated to care—both in the ICU and on the streets—cut short by the very government he served as a VA employee.
