As investigators continue to gather evidence on Saturday about the second fatal shooting this month of an American citizen in Minneapolis at the hands of a federal agent, more information is emerging about the victim, Alex Pretti.
Pretti, 37, worked for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System as an ICU nurse, according to AFGE Professional Local 3669, which represents professional employees affiliated with the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.
This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026.
Michael Pretti via AP
“[A] member of our union lost their life today, and that alone is devastating. Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own,” the union said.
Multiple videos of the confrontation Saturday showed federal agents spraying Pretti with a substance and pinning him to the ground before the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security alleged that Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and “violently resisted” when agents tried to disarm him. Local officials have disputed that characterization.
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino declined to give more details about the confrontation, claiming, “This situation is evolving. The investigation is ongoing. Those facts will come to light.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, questioned the claims and admonished the federal government for a rush to judgment without spending more time gathering evidence.
This screen grab from a video shows the scene moments before a shooting in Minneapolis, on Jan. 24, 2025.
Obtained by ABC News
Pretti, who worked as a nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, was issued a Minnesota nursing license in 2021 that remained active through March 2026, according to state records.
He previously served as a “junior scientist” at the University of Minnesota Medical School, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Dr. Dmitri Drekonja, who worked with Pretti, told ABC News Saturday “to those of us who know him it’s galling and enraging” to hear the way federal officials are portraying Pretti.
“I don’t understand how you can put a label on someone like that without talking to anyone who knew him. … They seem to be dropping that out there out of absolutely nothing,” Drekonja said.
Drekonnja said he bonded with Pretti over their interests in mountain biking.
“The Twin Cities metro area had outstanding mountain bike trails. We would compare note about which ones to go to. We talked about the same trails. I distinctly remember thinking that I had another person to ride with,” he said.
“He was the type of person you enjoyed being around and the notion that this helpful, smiling joking guy was being labeled a terrorist? It’s galling,” he added.
This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026.
Michael Pretti via AP
Drekonnja said he knew Pretti since 2018 and talked highly of Pretti’s work ethic.
“This is a guy who, within minutes, puts people at ease with his humor, smiling, quick with a joke … He was a guy who put people at ease.”
Drekonnja added, “He was a guy you just enjoyed being around. He was someone who always said, ‘what can I do to help with this.’ It was fabulous.”
Mac Randolph said in a Facebook post that Perrti treated his father at the VA. He posted a video on his Facebook page showing the nurse giving the final salute at the VA after his father passed away in 2024.
“Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it and even sacrifice for it,” Pretti says in the video. “We may never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom.”
Randolph said in his post: “Never wanted to share this video but his speech is very on point. Also my Fathers final words to me was continue to fight the good fight. He would be honored in Alex’ sacrifice, and ashamed of this current administration.”
The AFGE said Pretti “dedicated his life to serving American veterans.”
“While details of the incident are still emerging, one fact is already clear: this tragedy did not happen in a vacuum. It is the direct result of an administration that has chosen reckless policy, inflammatory rhetoric, and manufactured crisis over responsible leadership and de-escalation,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that Pretti was a legal gun owner and did not have a criminal record.
Minnesota’s gun laws permit open carrying a handgun as long as the gun owner has a valid permit.
A spokesperson for the Green Bay Area Public School District confirmed that Pretti was a 2006 graduate of the district.
-ABC News’ Laura Romero contributed to this report.
