Trump admin calls Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti a 'threat' as family rejects DHS account of shooting

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Conflicting accounts over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti collided over the weekend, as the Trump administration described the incident as a defensive action against a violent suspect while Pretti’s family portrayed him as a peaceful bystander trying to help others.

Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was the second person shot and killed in the city by federal agents this month.

The diverging narratives intensified tensions between federal authorities and the local community. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest, prompting an agent to fire out of fear for his life.

Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, rejected that account, calling it “reprehensible” and inaccurate.

Alex Pretti's parents condemn Trump administration's 'sickening lies'

In a statement released on Saturday, January 24, Pretti’s parents said that they were “heartbroken but also very angry,” accusing federal officials of spreading “sickening lies” about their son.

“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,” they wrote. The couple disputed claims that their son posed a threat to agents.

“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs,” the statement said, asserting that he was holding a phone and had raised his empty left hand while attempting to shield a woman who had been pushed to the ground.

Administration labels nurse a domestic extremist

The White House maintained that Pretti was a lethal threat. President Trump highlighted that he was armed and carrying two additional magazines at the time of the encounter.

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went further, labeling Pretti a “domestic t******t” and a “would-be assassin” who “tried to murder federal law enforcement.”

The characterization stood in contrast to comments from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who said that he felt “intense grief and anger” and described ICE’s presence in the city as an “illegal and unconstitutional occupation.”

Footage reportedly shows an agent disarming Alex Pretti

Video from the scene complicated the federal account. Footage circulating online appeared to show an ICE agent disarming Pretti moments before the fatal shots were fired.

The sequence suggested that Pretti entered the scuffle not to attack officers, but to assist another person who had allegedly been pushed by agents.

Being disarmed before the shooting challenged the implication that he was an active shooter at the moment he was killed.

Judge blocks destruction of shooting evidence

As the dispute over facts deepened, a legal fight erupted over control of evidence. On Sunday, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting.

US District Judge Eric Tostrud’s order prevented federal officials from disposing of material taken from the scene or held exclusively by federal agencies - evidence state authorities said they were previously denied access to.

The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension against DHS, ICE, CBP, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

A hearing is scheduled for Monday.