Alex Pretti spent his working life in hospitals, steadying patients through some of the worst days of their lives. On the morning of Jan. 24, 2026, the 37-year-old ICU nurse was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis (BBC News (UK public broadcaster)), and the official account of that encounter is already colliding with video evidence. The gap between the two versions is where the real story starts.
Age at death: 37 (BBC) · Occupation: ICU registered nurse (ABC News (U.S. network news)) · Workplace: Minneapolis VA Health Care System (ABC News) · Date of shooting: Jan. 24, 2026 (BBC) · Location: Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, south Minneapolis (BBC) · Federal response: Two agents on administrative leave (NBC News (U.S. broadcast news division))
Quick snapshot
- 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (ABC News)
- Fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Jan. 24, 2026 (BBC News)
- Legal gun owner with no criminal record, per Minneapolis police (ABC News)
- Exact birthdate — not disclosed in reviewed reports (BBC News)
- Make and model of the handgun — not identified (BBC News)
- Name and identity of his ex-wife — unconfirmed (BBC News)
- Full sequence of events before the shooting — disputed (BBC News)
- Shooting reported at roughly 9:05 a.m. local time (BBC News)
- Two agents who fired shots placed on administrative leave (NBC News)
- Nursing license issued in 2021, active through March 2026 (ABC News)
- Administrative review of the two agents involved (NBC News)
- Local officials continue to dispute the federal account (ABC News)
- A witness filing in federal court adds pressure for answers (ABC News)
Key facts at a glance
Nine data points frame the public record, one pattern: Pretti’s biography was confirmed quickly, while the official account of his death keeps colliding with video and witness evidence.
| Field | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 37 | BBC News |
| Profession | Registered nurse | ABC News |
| Unit | Intensive care unit | ABC News |
| Employer | Minneapolis VA Health Care System | ABC News |
| Date of death | Jan. 24, 2026 | BBC News |
| Time of shooting | Approximately 9:05 a.m. local time | BBC News |
| Location | Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, south Minneapolis | BBC News |
| Federal response | Two agents on administrative leave | NBC News |
| Legal status | Legal gun owner; no criminal record | ABC News |
The pattern from the record: identity was confirmed immediately; the encounter itself remains in dispute.
Where did Alex Pretti come from?
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who lived in Minneapolis (BBC News). The public record places him inside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system from 2014 onward — first as a research assistant in the Minneapolis VA clinical research program, according to a former mentor (NBC News), and later in the intensive care unit (ABC News).
Who are Alex Pretti’s parents?
- Their names have not been disclosed in the main reports reviewed.
- They are identified only as Pretti’s parents in published reporting.
The coverage of Pretti’s background has stayed focused on him, not his family. His parents entered the story after his death, and their statement carried the emotional weight of the case (NBC News).
What have Alex Pretti’s parents said about his death?
- They called the agents involved “Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
- The statement framed the shooting as an unjustified killing.
The words come from a family statement reported after the shooting (BBC News). The phrasing is raw — and it captures how far the family’s understanding sits from the federal account.
The implication: two portraits of the same man are already circulating in public. The family’s statement chooses its side without hesitation.
Was Alex Pretti a nurse?
Yes — and it is the most solid fact in the public record so far. Alex Pretti was a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (ABC News; BBC News). Minnesota state records showed his nursing license was issued in 2021 and remained active through March 2026 (ABC News).
Where did Alex Pretti work as a nurse?
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System — intensive care unit (ABC News)
- Previously a research assistant in the VA clinical research program starting in 2014 (NBC News)
- Nursing license active at the time of his death and through March 2026 (ABC News)
A former mentor told NBC News that Pretti started with the Minneapolis VA clinical research program as a research assistant in 2014 (NBC News), then moved into the intensive care unit (ABC News). That is more than a decade inside the VA system.
A licensed ICU nurse with a decade inside the VA system does not fit the profile of a random street threat. That professional record is the backbone of the family’s rebuttal to the federal account.
The pattern: the more his professional record comes into view, the harder the confrontation is to explain. The license, the unit, the years of service — none of it is disputed. What happened on the street is.
What gun was Alex Pretti carrying?
Federal officials said Pretti was carrying a handgun on the morning of Jan. 24, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security alleged it was a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and that Pretti violently resisted attempts to disarm him (ABC News). The make and model has not been identified in the reports reviewed.
What did federal officials say about the shooting?
- DHS said Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted immigration-enforcement operation when Pretti approached them (BBC News)
- Federal officials called the shooting defensive gunfire after an alleged struggle over the weapon (NBC News)
- Federal officials said the agents feared for their lives and for the safety of fellow officers (NBC News)
That is the official version. The video record, as described by several outlets, tells a more complicated story. Multiple videos show agents spraying Pretti with a chemical irritant and pinning him to the ground before the shooting (ABC News). Other videos show Pretti holding a phone, according to accounts challenging the federal description of a weapon in his hand at the critical moment (BBC News). In one video, ten shots are audible (BBC News).
Pretti appeared to be trying to help a woman after an agent pushed her to the ground.
Witness filing in federal court, as reported by ABC News
The same witness filing said agents then threw Pretti to the ground and shot him (ABC News). Local officials have disputed DHS’s characterization of Pretti as violently resisting disarmament (ABC News). Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti was a legal gun owner with no criminal record (ABC News).
The federal case rests on a struggle over a 9mm handgun. The video case, as reported, shows a chemical spray, a pinned man, and ten shots. Administrative leave keeps the two agents off the street while investigators decide which version survives.
The trade-off: the official account depends on a weapon, and the video record will decide whether that weapon was in Pretti’s hand when the shots were fired. That single question is now the center of the case.
Who is Alex Pretti’s ex-wife?
There is no confirmed public answer. The name and identity of Alex Pretti’s ex-wife have not been confirmed in the news reports reviewed, and early federal statements did not mention his marital status.
Was Alex Pretti married at the time of his death?
- No name for an ex-wife has been confirmed.
- Early federal and news reports did not include his marital status.
- The question remains open in the summarized reporting.
Search interest in the ex-wife question has outrun the available public record. Until a marriage record, a divorce filing, or the family addresses it, the answer stays unconfirmed.
The catch: in a story this polarized, the reporting has not crossed into his private life, and the question sits unresolved.
What was Alex Pretti’s birthdate?
His exact birthdate has not been disclosed in the sources reviewed. News reports confirm his age as 37 (BBC News), but a precise birthdate has not been published.
How old was Alex Pretti when he died?
- 37 years old at the time of death (BBC News)
- Exact birthdate not confirmed in any reviewed report
- No public record of his birthdate has surfaced so far
The age figure has been consistent across outlets. The birthdate has not. In a case built on verified detail, that distinction matters.
The implication: age and birthdate are different facts. The reporting gives one without the other, and the gap is a gap — not a detail to be guessed.
Timeline of the Alex Pretti shooting
The sequence is short but the record is layered. These are the moments that have been confirmed by reporting so far.
- — Pretti began working with the Minneapolis VA clinical research program as a research assistant, according to a former mentor (NBC News).
- — His Minnesota nursing license was issued (ABC News).
- — Pretti was fatally shot near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis (BBC News).
- — News outlets identified Pretti as a 37-year-old registered nurse (ABC News).
- After the shooting — DHS said two federal agents who fired shots were placed on administrative leave (NBC News).
- — His nursing license remained active (ABC News).
The next date that matters is the one that hasn’t been announced: when the administrative review of the two agents will produce findings. Federal agencies rarely set that timetable in public.
The pattern: the timeline narrows to a single morning. Everything before it builds a career; everything after it builds a case.
Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear
With the investigation still in its early phase, the public record splits into two lists. The first is established by multiple reports and official statements; the second is where the dispute actually lives.
Confirmed facts
- Pretti was 37 years old (BBC News)
- He was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (ABC News)
- He was a legal gun owner with no criminal record (ABC News)
- He was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Jan. 24, 2026 (BBC News)
- Videos show agents spraying a chemical irritant and pinning him to the ground before the shooting (ABC News)
- Two agents were placed on administrative leave (NBC News)
What’s unclear
- Alex Pretti’s exact birthdate
- The make and model of the handgun
- Whether Pretti was holding the gun or a phone at the critical moment (BBC News)
- The name and identity of his ex-wife
- The full sequence of events before the shooting
- Why Pretti approached the agents at all
- Whether claims tying Pretti to Joe Rogan, an influencer called Dr. G, or Marjorie Taylor Greene have any basis in reporting
The pattern: the confirmed facts establish who Pretti was; the unclear facts determine what happened to him. Everything that matters most is in the second column.
What the key voices said
Four voices frame the divide: the family, federal officials, a witness filing, and the Minneapolis police chief.
“Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”
Alex Pretti’s parents, in a family statement reported after the shooting (BBC News)
Pretti possessed a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and violently resisted attempts to disarm him.
Department of Homeland Security, as reported by ABC News
Pretti appeared to be trying to help a woman after an agent pushed her to the ground.
Witness filing in federal court, as reported by ABC News
Pretti was a legal gun owner and had no criminal record.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, as reported by ABC News
The pattern: the family speaks in rage, the department speaks in policy, and the witnesses speak in precise detail. The investigation will have to reconcile all three.
The takeaway
The administrative review of the two agents who fired their weapons will decide which version enters the official record. For the Pretti family, the implication is stark: either the video evidence matches the federal description of a struggle over a 9mm handgun, or the official account will have to be revised. For Minneapolis, the precedent is the point — a federal operation that ends in a killing on a public street demands an answer the city can see, not an inquiry that closes quietly.
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Frequently asked questions
When did Alex Pretti die?
Alex Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24, 2026, at approximately 9:05 a.m. local time (BBC News).
Where was Alex Pretti shot?
He was shot near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis (BBC News).
Which federal agency was involved in the Alex Pretti shooting?
The shooting involved U.S. Border Patrol agents working under the Department of Homeland Security. DHS said the agents were conducting a targeted immigration-enforcement operation (BBC News).
What happened to the federal agents who shot Alex Pretti?
Two federal agents who fired shots were placed on administrative leave (NBC News).
Did federal officials release an official account of the shooting?
Yes. DHS alleged that Pretti possessed a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and violently resisted attempts to disarm him (ABC News). Local officials and video accounts have disputed parts of that description (ABC News).
Did Alex Pretti appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast?
No reporting reviewed for this article confirms any connection between Alex Pretti and Joe Rogan, an influencer called Dr. G, or Marjorie Taylor Greene. The claims remain unverified.
Was Alex Pretti’s religion publicly known?
No. His religious affiliation has not been reported in the sources reviewed.
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Edward Davies Bennett is Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Publisher at Insight Britain, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and the corrections process.