A 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Saturday during protests against federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. This was the city's second fatal shooting by federal agents that month, fueling nationwide protests, outrage, and intense political clashes over President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Key incident details
DHS stated Pretti approached agents armed with a handgun, resisted disarmament, and posed an imminent threat, justifying defensive shots. However, bystander videos analyzed by CNN, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, and others showed him holding a phone—not a gun—while aiding a pepper-sprayed woman shoved by agents. He appeared disarmed and on the ground before multiple shots were fired. Witnesses in sworn statements and court filings refuted claims he brandished a weapon.
Pretti was remembered by family, colleagues, and nurses' unions as a dedicated caregiver for veterans, an outdoors enthusiast, and a kind neighbor. His family condemned federal accounts as "sickening lies," calling the killing unjust.
Weekend developments
Protests erupted with hundreds enduring subzero temperatures for vigils and rallies, spreading to Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. Chants included "Say his name: Alex Pretti" and demands to abolish ICE; some events, including NBA games, faced disruptions.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz activated the National Guard, accused agents of brutality and evidence tampering, demanded their withdrawal, and sued to preserve evidence. A federal judge issued a temporary order on January 25 prohibiting destruction of evidence.
New “angle” video shows moments before federal agents’ shooting that killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, near Glam Doll Donuts.
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) January 24, 2026
Minneapolis police say he was a gun owner with a valid permit to carry; DHS has said he was armed with a gun and two magazines. #ICE pic.twitter.com/xpy030nt9B
Timeline of Coverage Over the Weekend
- Saturday: Initial live blogs from CNN and NBC focused on the shooting, victim identification, and erupting protests. ABC and DW reported on the scene's chaos, with agents using tear gas. Al Jazeera and AP provided early live updates on Pretti's nursing role and the immigration context.
- Sunday: Coverage shifted to video refutations (NPR, Washington Post, Reuters), memorials, and blame exchanges. PBS and HuffPost highlighted family statements and broader reactions, including from sports figures and CEOs. International media like SinEmbargo and Sky News noted the judge's order and global perceptions.
Fox News, the country's highest-rated cable news network, offered little of this detailed scrutiny.
From the time of the shooting late Saturday morning, most of its hosts, reporters, and guests remained intently aligned with the Trump administration's official account: that the victim, 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, had essentially brought the fatal encounter on himself.
“Only one person could have prevented this from happening and it’s Alex Pretti,” Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Charlie Hurt declared on Sunday morning. “He should have not been there.”
Overall, weekend coverage was intense and polarized, amplifying tensions around federal immigration enforcement, with mainstream U.S. media (CNN, NBC, PBS) providing balanced but critical scrutiny, while international outlets underscored the incident's implications for America's image. Social media from news accounts amplified video evidence and calls for justice.
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