Alex Pretti's parents reveal heartbreaking detail as they recall emotional final phone call with son
Warning: this article contains footage that some readers may find distressing.
The parents of Alex Pretti, a man who was gunned down on the streets of Minneapolis by federal agents, have spoken about their final phone call with their son.
Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, was shot dead on 24 January, just weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed in the same city.
US officials tried to claim Pretti was a 'domestic terrorist' who had approached law enforcement, wielding a gun, and had 'violently resisted' when they allegedly attempted to disarm him.
Advert
However, various video accounts of the 37-year-old's final moments show that Pretti's gun, which he was permitted to carry, was holstered and he was instead holding a camera in his hand while attempting to put himself between federal agents and a woman they were pepper-spraying.
The footage of Pretti's death instead shows him being wrestled to the ground, his holstered gun taken away without being fired, and the man himself being shot to death as he lay on the ground.
Warning: This video contains troubling footage from the moments before Pretti's death
NBC reports that Pretti's parents, Michael and Susan, said their son was a 'kindhearted soul' and they'd last spoken to him a couple of days before he was killed, with him discussing repairs to his house.
The parents gave the heartbreaking detail that Alex had tipped the handyman $100 because he was Latino, and Pretti had been concerned for the man over ICE activity in the area targeting people.
Michael said he'd told his son 'do not engage' with ICE when discussing the situation, but had approved of Alex going out to protest against their actions.
He said: "We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically. And he said he knows that. He knew that."
In a statement, Pretti's parents said they wanted people to get the truth out that their son was a 'good man', and criticised the 'sickening lies' told about him by the Trump administration, which they called 'reprehensible and disgusting'.
They said: "We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends, and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.
"Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman.
"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.
"He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper-sprayed.
"Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you."
LADbible Group has previously contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
ICE in Minnesota: a timeline of events
Dec 2025: Trump sends thousands of ICE agents to Minneapolis
In late December 2025, with reports emerging around January 6 (the five-year anniversary of the Capitol Riots), President Donald Trump sent around 2,000 ICE agents into Minneapolis to crack down on immigration.
This was reportedly due to, more specifically, allegations of fraud aimed at Somalian residents.
Jan 7: ICE agent Jonathan Ross kills Renee Good
On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed mother-of-three Renee Good at the scene of an ICE raid in southern Minnesota. Good’s car was stopped sideways, in what is believed to have been an attempt to block ICE agents from passing.
As Good went to reverse her vehicle away from the agents, Ross shot her at least two times, once in the face. Good died at the scene.
Jan 7: Protests break out in Minneapolis
Following the killing of Renee Good, protests broke out in Minneapolis that same night. Protests are still ongoing at the time of writing (January 19), and tensions remain high in the twin cities.
Jan 12: Minnesota sues the Trump administration
On January 12, the state of Minnesota filed a motion in federal court to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to block the surge of ICE agents. Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison said immigration operations have caused ‘chaos and violence’ for millions of people and disrupted their lives.
Jan 13: ICE drags disabled woman from car
On January 13, on a street in Minnesota City, ICE agents were caught on camera dragging an unknown disabled woman from her car. This happened just two blocks from where Good was shot.
The woman shouted at the time: “I’ve been beat up by police before. I’m disabled, I’m trying to go to the doctor up there, that’s why I couldn’t move. I am an autistic disabled person, I’m trying to go to the doctor.”
The Independent reports that ‘tear gas, flash bang grenades and pepper balls were also fired towards the protesters during the stand-off’.
Jan 14: Venezuelan man shot by ICE
A Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by ICE officers on January 14 during an alleged traffic stop. It’s been reported that during the traffic stop, the officer was attacked by another individual in the car with a ‘snow shovel and broom handle’, which is allegedly why they opened fire on two individuals. The man who was shot has not yet been identified.
Jan 15: Trump threatens insurrection
Trump has not reacted well to the protests and took to Truth Social to threaten Minnesota with insurrection. On January 15, he said: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,.”
Jan 18: 1,500 US troops on standby for deployment
On January 18, officials confirmed that 1,500 soldiers are on standby for deployment to Minneapolis. The troops are currently in Alaska, and no official word has been given to send them in as of yet.
Minnesota officials have asked protesters to stay ‘peaceful’ and ‘orderly’. This comes after Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis told ICE to ‘get the f*ck out’.
Jan 24: ICU nurse Alex Pretti shot by US Border Patrol
ICU nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed by Border Patrol Agents in Minneapolis in the midst of citywide protests against Trump's immigration crackdown. He was a 37-year-old US citizen.
Joe Harker