VA Doctor Remembers Alex Pretti, 37-Year-Old Man Killed by ICE, as ‘Kind and Helpful’ ICU Nurse

Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, is being remembered by a colleague as compassionate, upbeat, and exceptionally good at his job.

“He was energetic, he was kind. He was always quick to have a joke or a laugh,” said Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, an infectious disease physician at the VA Medical Center where Pretti worked.

Drekonja described Pretti as sharp and steady on shift, saying he was the kind of nurse who always had the details ready when handing over a patient update.

“He was very capable. When he gave a summary of the shift … [he] had all the information at his fingertips,” he said. “He would tell me how the family was doing. He was a very, very skilled nurse.”

What Drekonja most wants people to understand, he said, is that the version of Pretti he knew didn’t match the violent circumstances of his death.

“The biggest thing… is that this was a kind and helpful guy — and nothing over the years that I knew him contradicted that,” he said. “He was always willing to help. Whether it was a small task, whether it was patient care, whether it was, ‘Hey, I can give you a ride over, we’re gonna meet for drinks after work.’ He was just a really kind guy.”

“It’s just been gutting,” he added, saying he and others who worked with Pretti want the public to know “that [Pretti] was a good person… such a nice guy.”

Drekonja also said they shared an interest in mountain biking and would regularly talk about local trails and favorite routes.

Pretti had been a registered nurse since January 2021, according to his nursing license. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday, Jan. 24, at about 9:00 a.m. local time.

In a statement, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers were conducting what she described as a targeted operation in Minneapolis against a person wanted for violent assault. McLaughlin said Pretti “approached” U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, and that an agent fired what she called “defensive shots.”

“Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject, but was pronounced dead at the scene,” McLaughlin said.

At a press conference after the shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that, to his knowledge, Pretti’s only prior interaction with law enforcement involved parking tickets. He also said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit.

O’Hara added that preliminary details suggested there was “more than one law enforcement officer involved in the discharge,” and he referenced public video showing several officers in a physical struggle with someone.

When asked about the DHS account of the incident, O’Hara said, “The video speaks for itself.”

According to The Associated Press, at least 200 protesters arrived near the scene soon after the shooting, leading to confrontations between federal law enforcement and local residents.