In the wake of a tragedy that has gripped the nation, a single video has emerged to define the legacy of Alex Jeffrey Pretti. Just days before he was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents during a federal immigration operation in south Minneapolis, the 37-year-old registered nurse stood in the hallways of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center to perform a solemn duty. Clad in his scrubs, Pretti delivered a final tribute to Terrance Lee Randolph, who was a 77-year-old Air Force veteran who had passed away under his care.
“Today we remember that freedom is not free,” Pretti says in the footage as his voice stays steady and respectful. “We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget to always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom.”
The video was shared on social media by the veteran’s son, Mac Randolph, and has since become a viral symbol of the man Pretti’s family and colleagues describe as a “kindhearted soul” who lived to serve. For a public reeling from the violent images of Saturday’s shooting, the tribute offers a sharp contrast to the “domestic terrorist” narrative being pushed by federal officials.
Screenshot from fox9, via Instagram. Used under fair use for editorial commentary.
Mac Randolph, who is a content creator who met Pretti during his father’s final days in December 2024, described the nurse as an “example of brimming human compassion.” He recalled how Pretti sat with the family for days and explained the difficult medical realities of turning off his father’s oxygen with a level of empathy that stayed with them.
After Terrance passed, Pretti did not just move on to the next patient. He draped the veteran’s gurney in an American flag and led an “honorary walk” through the hospital wings.
“You could see that it was not the first time he had done that,” Randolph told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “He was as compassionate a person as you could be.” Randolph said he initially hesitated to share the video of the final salute but felt it was “on point” given the current national conversation. “Alex was the best of us,” he added.
The life of service captured in the viral video came to a violent end at approximately 9:05 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and no criminal record. He was participating in a protest against the recent surge of federal immigration enforcement, which was a movement spurred by the January 7 killing of another Minneapolis resident named Renée Nicole Good.
While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges that Pretti “approached agents with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted,” multiple bystander videos analyzed by major news outlets suggest a different story.
The Cell Phone Evidence
According to a New York Times analysis, Pretti was recording the federal operation when he stepped in to assist a woman who had been pushed to the ground by an officer. Witnesses and video footage show Pretti being pepper-sprayed and tackled by at least seven agents.
While a firearm was recovered from the scene, multiple angles show an agent removing it from Pretti’s waist while he was pinned to the sidewalk, and this occurred before shots were fired. The video evidence reviewed by various networks appears to show Pretti recording the agents on his phone rather than brandishing a weapon.
“Sickening Lies”
The discrepancy between the viral video of the VA nurse and the labels used by Washington officials has fueled a firestorm of outrage. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have characterized Pretti as a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” who arrived on the scene “wishing to inflict maximum damage.”
In a statement released Sunday, the parents of the nurse named Michael and Michael Pretti condemned the administration’s account as “reprehensible and disgusting.” They wrote, “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by murdering and cowardly thugs. He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman just pushed down.”
[Link: Read the full statement from the family of Alex Pretti – Yahoo News]
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has joined the chorus of dissent and called the DHS account “nonsense” and “lies.” Walz has demanded that federal agents immediately pull out of Minnesota and stated that the country is at an “inflection point.”
A Legacy of “Making a Difference”
Before he became a flashpoint for national protest, Alex Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who loved mountain biking and his dog. He was a 2011 graduate of the University of Minnesota and obtained his nursing license during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a time when health care workers were hailed as heroes.
“He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express his care for others,” his father told the Associated Press. “He cared about people deeply.”
Colleagues at the Minneapolis VA Hospital echoed this sentiment. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents VA staff, stated that Pretti “dedicated his life to serving American veterans.” Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, who is a former colleague, took to social media to mourn the “good, kind person” who lived to help.
As the viral tribute video continues to circulate, the legal battle is just beginning. On Monday, January 26, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order against the DHS. This order bars the department from altering or destroying evidence related to the shooting.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is expected to argue in court today to end the ongoing federal immigration surge in the state. Meanwhile, federal agents involved in the shooting have been reassigned out of Minneapolis for their own safety.
For the family of Terrance Lee Randolph and the countless veterans Pretti cared for, the nurse will not be remembered for the labels given by the administration. He will be remembered for the “final salute” he gave to those who served.
