In an emotional and deeply personal interview with local Minneapolis media on January 28, 2026, Michael Pretti, father of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti, broke his silence four days after his son was shot and killed by federal Border Patrol agents during a protest outside a federal building in downtown Minneapolis.

His voice trembling with grief and confusion, Michael described a son who had always been compassionate, dedicated, and deeply committed to helping others—qualities that defined Alex’s career in intensive care and his quiet support for immigrant coworkers and patients. “Alex was the kind of person who would stay late to make sure a family understood what was happening with their loved one,” Michael said. “He never wanted anyone to feel alone or afraid. That’s who he was.”

But in recent months, Michael noticed a troubling shift. “He started drifting away from his usual routine,” he explained. “He talked less about work, more about ‘standing up’ and ‘making a difference’—but in very different ways than before. At first we thought it was just stress from the hospital, from seeing so much suffering. But now… we really don’t know anymore.”

Michael revealed that two weeks before the fatal incident, he and his wife sat Alex down for a serious conversation. “We reminded him: protesting is fine, it’s your right—but don’t get too deeply involved, don’t do anything reckless. He said he understood. He promised he was just showing support for the people he worked with.” Michael paused, wiping his eyes. “He seemed to have been drawn into some kind of group. I don’t know who they were, but he started talking about ‘solidarity’ and ‘direct action’ in ways that worried us. We thought he was just passionate. We never imagined it would end like this.”

Alex Pretti was killed on January 24, 2026, during a demonstration against federal immigration enforcement operations. According to police and witness accounts, he approached officers while legally armed with a concealed handgun, ignored repeated commands to stop and show his hands, and was shot after agents perceived an imminent threat. Body-worn camera footage released in part shows a chaotic crowd scene, with Pretti moving forward amid shouting protesters. No clear frame shows him drawing or pointing the weapon, but the agents’ use of force has been defended as reasonable under the circumstances.

The revelation that Alex may have been influenced by a group has intensified scrutiny of the protest environment and raised questions about radicalization or peer pressure within activist circles. Michael emphasized that his son was “not a violent person” and had never expressed extremist views. “If someone pulled him in deeper than he should have gone, they need to answer for that too,” he said. “He was trying to help. That’s all he ever wanted.”

The Pretti family has been overwhelmed by support from Alex’s colleagues at the hospital, former patients, and members of the immigrant community he served. A GoFundMe set up to cover funeral expenses and support his two young children has surpassed $400,000. Colleagues described Alex as “the calm in the storm” during the worst shifts of the pandemic, always patient and kind.

Michael closed the interview with a plea: “I just want people to remember who he really was—not the headlines, not the moment he died, but the man who cared so much he put himself in harm’s way to stand up for others. He didn’t deserve this ending. None of us did.”

As the investigation continues and federal authorities review the use of force, Michael Pretti’s words linger as a father’s desperate attempt to reclaim his son’s memory from tragedy and speculation. In a city still grappling with the shooting, Alex Pretti’s story—once defined by compassion and quiet service—now carries the heavy weight of questions that may never be fully answered.