Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was identified by his family as the man fatally shot by federal authorities in Minneapolis on January 24.
Pretti had recently become active in local demonstrations following the death of Renee Good, 37, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a traffic incident on January 7, 2026.
Following the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintained that the officer acted in self-defence.
DHS asserted that Pretti was armed with a handgun and became combative while resisting efforts to be disarmed.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
However, multiple eyewitnesses captured the incident on video, which was widely circulated online.
Pretti’s family disputed this version of events, as did several bystanders and local officials.
According to CNN’s analysis of the footage, it appeared that a federal agent in a grey jacket took a handgun away from Pretti moments before he was shot.
Videos filmed by nearby witnesses show an officer reaching into a group of agents restraining Pretti and then pulling out a weapon resembling the gun the U.S. government claims Pretti carried.
During the struggle, audio recordings captured officers yelling, “He’s got a gun,” just as an unidentified agent reached into Pretti’s waistband.
CNN’s visual analysis indicates that the officer seen pulling the firearm did not have anything in his hands prior to this moment. Seconds after the weapon appears, an initial gunshot is heard, followed by at least nine more, according to TNX Africa.
It remains unclear whether the officer who disarmed Pretti signalled to his colleagues that the weapon had been secured before the shooting.
Pretti’s family told BBC that he worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, caring for the city’s veterans.
They also told the Associated Press that his recent activism stemmed from deep disagreements with federal policies, including immigration enforcement and the dismantling of environmental protections.
His mother, Susan Pretti, said he was especially pained by what he saw as the destruction of natural landscapes.
“He hated that people were just trashing the land. He was an outdoorsman and took his dog everywhere. He loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it,” she said.
The family noted that Pretti had a clean legal record, with past encounters limited to minor traffic citations, a fact confirmed by AP reports.
His parents, based in Wisconsin, had recently expressed concern for his safety, urging him to be cautious while participating in demonstrations.
“We had this discussion with him about two weeks ago: go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid. And he said he knows that. He knew that,” his father Michael Pretti told AP.
While DHS emphasised that Pretti was armed, his family clarified that although he legally owned a handgun and had a valid Minnesota concealed carry permit, he rarely carried it.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois.
Following his death, social media reactions were divided.
On X, Dr Jay, PhD, wrote, “They shot and murdered Alex Pretti in the back. He was unarmed. This was a public execution.”
Another user, Mellissa Villa, commented, “How would he, as a nurse, like it if we interfered in his job, or anyone else’s? Let ICE do their job!”