'I saw my child get shot 10 times': Alex Pretti's parents recall watching him die on TV

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Alex Pretti's parents were watching television on January 24, 2026, when they realized the man being shot by federal officers in Minneapolis was their son.

His mother, Susan Pretti, recognized his jacket and sunglasses in the footage.

What followed was the realization that the family was watching the final moments of the life of the 37-year-old American citizen and ICU nurse.

Seven months after the shooting, Michael and Susan Pretti, along with their daughter Micayla, spoke to ABC News in an interview that aired on Tuesday, August 25, about what they saw that day and why they are still seeking answers about their son’s death.

Alex Pretti's kin break silence

Michael Pretti said the family did not learn about the shooting through a phone call or an official notification. They were watching the news coverage.

“That’s how we found out, watching it on TV. Watching our son be shot ten times on TV,” he told ABC News.

The family has since seen videos showing the confrontation from different angles. 

In one widely circulated recording, Pretti appears to be holding a phone as an officer moves toward him. 

The footage also shows an officer removing Pretti’s firearm while he is on the ground before multiple shots are fired.

Pretti had a legal permit to carry the firearm, according to the family’s account.

Susan said she was not surprised that her son appeared to intervene when another person was involved in the confrontation.

“I was not shocked that he helped somebody,” she said.

What she could not understand, she said, was how that ended with her son being killed.

“What did he do to deserve to be killed?” Susan said. “To be left cold, on the ground, dead, my child? What did he do?”

Alex Pretti's family demands accountability

Michael also claimed that there appeared to have been greater urgency in portraying his son negatively than in investigating the circumstances of his death.

“There was more effort in vilifying him than pursuing justice, investigating this,” he said.

Susan said she wants an apology for the statements made about Alex.

The family’s attorney, Steve Schleicher, asserted they have been given limited information about the investigation.

He said the family wants to know who shot Pretti and wants to be kept informed about the case.

Micayla, Alex's sister, also said one thing she wants is the official release of the names of the officers who shot her brother.

The shooting came roughly two weeks after another Minneapolis shooting involving federal immigration officers that killed Renee Good, also a US citizen.

Both incidents drew national attention during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in the city.

Videos that emerged days after Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting showed him in heated confrontations with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Footage from January 13, days before his death, appeared to show Pretti spitting toward an ICE vehicle, kicking its taillight, and arguing with agents before being tackled to the ground.