When news broke that Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, had been fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on January 20, 2026, the official narrative was swift and stark: an armed individual had refused commands and posed an immediate threat, forcing officers to fire in self-defense. But as bodycam footage remains unreleased and witness videos continue to circulate, a different picture is emerging—one painted most vividly by those who knew Alex longest. Among the most moving voices is that of his high school friend, Marcus Thompson, who recently shared memories that stand in direct contrast to the image authorities have presented.
Marcus and Alex grew up together in a working-class suburb outside Minneapolis. They played on the same JV basketball team, shared rides to school, and spent countless weekends fixing up old cars in Alex’s garage. “He was never the guy looking for trouble,” Marcus told local reporters in an emotional interview. “If anything, Alex was the one who stepped in when trouble started. He broke up fights in the hallway, talked people down when they were angry, made sure everyone got home safe after parties. That was Alex—calm, kind, always trying to keep the peace.”
Those who knew Alex describe a man who carried that same temperament into adulthood. After high school he became a nurse, working grueling shifts in the ICU where he cared for the most critically ill patients. Colleagues remember him as the person who stayed late to comfort grieving families, who brought homemade soup for night-shift coworkers, who never lost his patience even during the worst COVID surges. “He had this quiet strength,” one nurse said. “You could scream at him, cry on his shoulder—he just listened and helped. He wasn’t confrontational. Ever.”
That reputation makes the official account of his death difficult for many to accept. DHS officials stated that Pretti approached agents serving an immigration warrant, ignored repeated commands to stop, and appeared to be armed, leaving officers no choice but to shoot. Yet multiple witness videos—captured from different angles—show Pretti walking toward the scene with hands visible, one holding what appears to be a phone raised as if recording. No firearm is seen in his grip. He stops when commanded, raises his free hand, and appears to be speaking—possibly identifying himself as a neighbor—before shots are fired in rapid succession. He falls backward without any visible lunge or aggressive movement.
Marcus watched the footage in disbelief. “That’s not the Alex I grew up with,” he said. “The guy in those videos is confused, maybe scared, but he’s not charging anyone. He’s not reaching for anything. He’s just standing there with his phone up—like he’s trying to document what’s happening. And they shot him anyway.”
The videos have fueled widespread skepticism about the DHS narrative. Forensic reviews suggest multiple agents fired, contradicting early claims of a single shooter acting in self-defense. No gun was recovered from Pretti or the immediate scene, despite assertions that he was armed. Witnesses in sworn statements insist he was only holding his phone, attempting to record what looked like an aggressive raid on a nearby home. Pretti lived two doors down and had stepped outside after hearing commotion—behavior consistent with the helpful, community-oriented man his friends describe.
Marcus also addressed the personal toll. “Alex was a dad. He had two little kids who are now without their father. He was the guy who’d drop everything to help a friend move, who’d sit with you at 2 a.m. when life fell apart. To think he died like this—shot in his own neighborhood for trying to see what was wrong—it’s unbearable.”
The high school friend’s tribute has resonated far beyond their shared past. In a city already tense over federal enforcement tactics, his words have become part of a growing chorus questioning the use of lethal force. Protests continue outside DHS offices, with signs reading “Alex Was Not a Threat” and “Release the Body Cam Footage.” Civil rights groups have joined Pretti’s family in demanding an independent federal investigation, citing the videos as evidence of possible excessive force and failure to de-escalate.
Pretti’s colleagues at the VA hospital have echoed Marcus’s memories. “He was the calm in chaos,” one nurse said. “He talked down aggressive patients, comforted terrified families, never lost his cool. That’s who he was—never someone who would pick a fight.” A memorial fund for his children has raised over $150,000, and vigils continue to draw hundreds who mourn not just a nurse, but a neighbor, a father, a friend.
DHS has defended the agents’ actions, citing “officer safety” and an “armed individual who refused commands.” Yet the absence of released bodycam footage, combined with the witness videos and testimonies like Marcus’s, has intensified calls for transparency. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues its investigation, but public trust remains fragile.
For Marcus Thompson, speaking out is both painful and necessary. “I owe it to Alex to tell people who he really was,” he said. “Not the version in the press release, but the real Alex—the guy who’d give you the shirt off his back, who’d stand between two angry people and say ‘Let’s talk this out.’ That’s the man they took from us. And that’s the man the world needs to remember.”
As the investigation drags on and the videos keep circulating, Alex Pretti’s story refuses to fade. Through the grief of his ex-wife, the memories of his coworkers, and now the heartfelt words of a childhood friend, a fuller portrait emerges—not of a threat, but of a gentle, caring man whose life ended in a hail of bullets on a quiet Minneapolis street. The question lingers: how did a peacemaker become the casualty? For those who loved him, the answer may never satisfy. But they will keep telling his story—until the truth, whatever it is, can no longer be ignored.
