Alex Pretti Remembered By Loves Ones As Nurse Who 'Wanted To Make A Difference'

MINNEAPOLIS — Friends and family, as well as many who never knew him, are mourning Alex Pretti, the Green Bay native who built a life as a nurse in the Twin Cities and was fatally shot Saturday in an encounter with federal authorities amid continued unrest regarding immigration enforcement across the metro.

The 37-year-old is the second American citizen to be killed by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis this month, as tension builds surrounding immigration authorities’ extended and aggressive presence locally.

In a statement published Saturday by the Minnesota DFL Party, his parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said they were “heartbroken but also very angry.”

“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,” the statement said.

“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”

The Department of Homeland Security said the man was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not specify if Pretti brandished the gun. In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon after, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand, standing between authorities and another person before he is taken to the ground, but none of the videos appear to show him holding a weapon.

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Minnesota. Court records showed he had no criminal record.

Pretti grew up in Green Bay, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.

Travis Vanden Heuvel, a childhood friend who sang with him in the choir, told WBAY that Pretti was “one of those kids who was liked by everybody.”

“He had a spirit and a personality that people gravitated towards and wanted to be around,” Vanden Heuvel told the outlet.

“He has a very infectious smile. We had choir camp every summer out at UW Green Bay, and we would take an annual trip as a choir down to Chicago. So a lot of fun memories of him goofing around on the bus on the way down, or just being a friend.”

Pretti attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment, according to the family. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting into adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog, who also recently died. He worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and had participated in protests following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.

Pretti lived in a four-unit condominium building about 2 miles from where he was shot. Neighbors described him as quiet and warmhearted.

“He’s a wonderful person,” said Sue Gitar, who lived downstairs from Pretti and said he moved into the building about three years ago. “He has a great heart.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.