Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who resided in South Minneapolis, was identified by his parents as the individual shot and killed by officers early Saturday (Jan. 24).
During a news conference, 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.
Gov. Tim Walz, who urged President Donald Trump to end the immigration operation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the Department of Homeland Security, called for the “thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.” During his portion of the news conference, Walz rejected the notion from Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino, who said Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage” to officers.
“Thank God we have video, because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It’s nonsense, people. It’s nonsense and it is lies,” Walz said.
He added, “They already will slander this individual. They already have made this the case. But you will all start to see it, some of you probably have, there are multiple angles [of this shooting]. And I’ll go back to what we talked about before. They’re telling you not to trust your eyes and ears. Not to trust the facts that you’re seeing.”
“There will be justice for Minnesotans.”
Pretti, a 2006 graduate of Preble High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, attended the University of Minnesota and was still an active nurse through March 2026.
His death follows the ICE-related shooting of Renee Good on January 7, prompting widespread protests across the state.
Following Pretti’s shooting, the NBA announced the scheduled game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors was postponed until Sunday evening.
