Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs health system, was shot and killed Jan. 24 by U.S. Border Patrol agents during what federal authorities described as an immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.
The confrontation came just weeks after the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renée Nicole Good, 37, by an ICE agent in the same city.
“Today, our community and our nation once again mourns a life lost under circumstances that demand truth, justice, and accountability,” Gordo said in a written statement. “We grieve the tragic and senseless killing of Alex Pretti, a dedicated ICU nurse, a neighbor, a friend, and a compassionate member of his community who devoted his life to caring for veterans and lifting up others.”
The mayor criticized the presence of masked federal immigration agents and said their tactics “do not make us safer…they erode trust, and they place our residents at risk.”
Video recordings from Jan. 24 show Pretti filming federal agents with his cellphone, not brandishing a weapon, during a protest against enforcement activities, before being pepper-sprayed and wrestled to the ground.
Another agent appears to retrieve a firearm from Pretti just before ICE authorities fired multiple shots, according to widely viewed footage and reporting.
Pretti was legally licensed to carry a handgun, but publicly available video does not show him using it at the time he was shot.
The death of Pretti followed the Jan. 7 killing of Good, a Minneapolis resident and mother of three, during an ICE enforcement action.
A private autopsy commissioned by her family found that she was shot three times, including a fatal head wound. Good’s death has been ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office.
Federal authorities have defended both shootings as justified uses of force.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said agents acted in self-defense during the Jan. 7 incident, describing the encounter involving Good as part of a broader enforcement operation that included hours of alleged threatening behavior—claims disputed by her family and by civilian video evidence.
Gordo addressed the anger and protest that have followed the shootings, saying, “In moments like this, our community’s anger is not misplaced, it is righteous…It is rooted in our shared belief that the sanctity of human life matters, that those entrusted with authority must act with humanity and restraint…”
He offered condolences to Pretti’s family and urged peaceful protest and unity.
The twin deaths have ignited protests not only in Minneapolis but in cities across the country, as critics accuse federal agencies of excessive force and a lack of transparency.
Minnesota state officials have sued to preserve evidence from the Pretti shooting and have criticized federal refusal to allow local investigators access to the scene.
Pretti’s family released a statement calling for truth and transparency, rejecting federal assertions and saying videos show he was not posing a threat when he was shot.
Good’s family likewise has urged an end to federal enforcement actions, describing continued operations as overreach that has endangered civilians.
The mayor’s statement in full may be read here.
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