Alex Pretti died as he lived: taking care of others

Alex Pretti died as he lived: taking care of other people.

Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse with a Veterans Affairs medical center, was using his cell phone on Saturday morning to record federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in a neighborhood known for its ethnic diversity. Bystander videos show that he was directing traffic until an agent knocked down another bystander and Pretti went to help her up. At that point, as Pretti stood with his arm around the woman, an agent sprayed him in the face with a non-lethal chemical weapon. A group of agents tackled him to the ground. After an agent confiscated Pretti’s legally registered — and secured — handgun, one or more additional agents fired as many as 10 shots at him. 

He died at the scene. 

Pretti’s parents said he had only recently begun venturing into Minneapolis’ streets to witness — and protest — a federal immigration crackdown that has ensnared U.S. citizens, shuttered elementary schools and led to the January 7 death of Renee Good. His father, Michael Pretti, told the Associated Press, “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE,” using shorthand for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

Pretti’s mentor praised his demeanor with patients to ABC News; a local doctor remembered him on social media as someone who “used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians … he made a point to teach medical residents without judgement [sic], but with a smile on his face and a joke.”

The White House and administration officials have attempted to try Pretti in the court of public opinion, saying he “attacked” and wanted to “massacre” agents. Bystander videos refute federal officials’ accounts, showing Pretti was on the ground, face down, when he was shot. The federal government is also trying to block any state or local investigation. President Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration was “reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.” He also praised ICE agents for doing a “phenomenal job” and said they would leave Minneapolis “at some point.”  

Pretti’s parents released a statement to Minnesota lawmakers the evening after his death. “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for,” Michael and Susan Pretti wrote. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”

Chris Di Salvi, a friend of Pretti’s in high school and college, told a Wisconsin television station where they both grew up: “He was genuine, he was kind, he was friendly to everybody that I know. I can’t stress how much he was kind to everybody.”