Ten Shots in Five Seconds: The Killing of Alex Pretti

Last updated: January 25, 2026

Ten shots. Five seconds. Face-down on the pavement. Then they called him a terrorist.

Alex Pretti. 37. American citizen. ICU nurse. He spent his days keeping veterans alive at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. On January 24, 2026, federal agents shot him ten times in the back while he lay pinned to the ground.

He was unarmed when they killed him. They had already taken his gun.

What the Video Shows

This is not in dispute. Multiple videos. Verified by Reuters, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal. Frame by frame.

Alex Pretti was filming federal agents with his phone. A woman nearby was shoved to the ground by an agent. Pretti stepped between them. He put his arm around her to help her up.

They pepper-sprayed him.

Six to eight agents tackled him. They wrestled him face-down onto the sidewalk. One struck him with an object.

Then, while he was pinned beneath them, an agent reached into his waistband and removed his holstered gun.

Less than one second later, another agent opened fire.

Ten shots. Five seconds. Into his back.

A physician on the scene tried to help. Agents turned her away. She later testified that they weren't performing CPR. They had Pretti on his side. They were counting his bullet wounds.

What the Administration Said

Within hours, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stood before cameras and called Alex Pretti a terrorist.

"This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement."

She said he "brandished" his weapon. She said he "attacked" officers.

The video shows his phone in his right hand. His left hand raised. Helping a woman up. Being pepper-sprayed. Being tackled. Being shot in the back while face-down on concrete.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called it an "avoidable tragedy" caused by Minnesota officials who "resisted federal law enforcement."

The man who ordered the investigation of a dead woman now blames state officials for the killing of a nurse.

Who Alex Pretti Was

He graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006. University of Minnesota in 2011. He worked as a research scientist before going back to school to become a nurse.

He worked at the VA. He cared for veterans. He was a member of the federal employees' union. A colleague described him as "incredibly competent," someone who "put people at ease with his humor."

He had a Minnesota permit to carry a firearm. He was exercising a constitutional right. The same right Republicans claim to defend.

He had no criminal record. Court searches turned up traffic tickets.

A neighbor told the New York Times he was "not a violent person."

His father said Alex had been protesting the ICE raids because "he thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong."

His parents released a statement:

"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed."

"Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man."

The Pattern

Seventeen days earlier, in the same city, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Renée Good three times while she sat in her car. Video showed her turning away from him when he fired.

The administration called her a terrorist too.

They said she "weaponized her vehicle." They said she tried to run officers over. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey watched the video and said, "I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit."

The Department of Justice declined to investigate the officer. Instead, they ordered the FBI to investigate Renée Good. She was already dead.

A federal judge rejected the warrant. An FBI supervisor resigned rather than comply. Twelve federal prosecutors quit.

Congress issued zero subpoenas.

Now there's a second body. Same city. Same lies. Same playbook.

Renée Good. 37. Mother of three. Shot three times.

Alex Pretti. 37. ICU nurse. Shot ten times.

Both American citizens. Both labeled terrorists within hours of being killed. Both exercising constitutional rights when they died.

The Numbers

Since January 20, 2025:

• At least 27 shootings by federal immigration agents

• At least 8 people killed

• At least 5 of the dead were U.S. citizens

• 32 deaths in ICE detention in 2025, the deadliest year in two decades

• At least 6 more detention deaths in January 2026

Who Did This

Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander on the scene, defended the shooting. He's the same official a federal judge reprimanded in late 2025 for lying about his justification for throwing a gas canister at protesters in Chicago.

Kristi Noem called Alex Pretti a terrorist who came to "inflict maximum damage" and "kill law enforcement." The video shows a nurse helping a woman off the ground.

Todd Blanche blamed Minnesota officials. The man who ordered the FBI to investigate a dead woman is now deflecting responsibility for a second killing.

The agent who fired the shots has not been identified. Border Patrol says he's an eight-year veteran with "extensive training."

Ten shots in five seconds into a man's back while he was pinned face-down by half a dozen agents. That's the training.

Congressional Oversight Authority

The House Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committee have clear jurisdiction and authority to investigate federal use-of-force incidents.

What Congress Could Do:

Jim Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee. He has subpoena authority over the Department of Justice. He could compel Todd Blanche to testify under oath about why DOJ declined to investigate the officer who shot Alex Pretti.

Mark Green chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. He has subpoena authority over DHS. He could compel Kristi Noem to testify under oath about her characterization of Alex Pretti as a terrorist before investigations were complete.

Andrew Garbarino chairs the subcommittee overseeing DHS. After two Americans were shot and killed in the same city in seventeen days, his response was a letter requesting officials appear for questioning. Not a subpoena. A letter.

What Congress Has Done:

As of January 25, 2026, no congressional committee has issued subpoenas related to either the Alex Pretti shooting or the Renée Good shooting. No hearings have been scheduled. No depositions have been taken.

The oversight authority exists. It has not been exercised.

The Lies They Document

Every time, the same pattern:

• Kill an American

• Immediately call them a terrorist

• Claim self-defense

• Refuse to release evidence

• Block state investigators

• Wait for the news cycle to move on

They called Renée Good a terrorist. Video proved she was turning away when shot.

They called Alex Pretti a terrorist. Video proves his gun was removed before they shot him.

The administration doesn't wait for evidence. The label comes first. The justification is invented later. And when video proves the characterization false, there is no retraction, no apology, no correction.

This pattern continues because there are no institutional consequences. Congress has the authority to provide oversight. Congress has chosen not to exercise it.

What Happens Now

Minnesota has activated the National Guard. The state obtained a temporary restraining order preventing DHS from destroying evidence. Federal investigators have refused to allow state access to the scene despite a search warrant.

Several Democratic senators have announced they'll vote against DHS funding. Articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, filed after Renée Good's killing, have over 70 signatures. They remain buried by Republican leadership.

The administration continues to characterize dead Americans as terrorists. The videos continue to show otherwise. The pattern will continue until institutional oversight mechanisms function as the Constitution requires.

Congressional Authority Unused

Congress has the constitutional authority and institutional tools to investigate these killings:

• Subpoena Todd Blanche to explain why DOJ declined to investigate federal agents who killed American citizens

• Subpoena Kristi Noem to explain her characterization of citizens as terrorists before seeing evidence

• Subpoena Gregory Bovino to explain why his agents shot a nurse ten times in the back

• Hold hearings examining the pattern of federal use-of-force incidents and administrative characterizations

As of this publication, none of these oversight actions have been taken.

Two Americans dead in seventeen days. Both 37 years old. Both exercising constitutional rights. Both called terrorists by federal officials. Congress has issued zero subpoenas.

Remember Their Names

Renée Good. 37. Veteran's widow. Mother of three. Shot three times by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026.

Alex Pretti. 37. ICU nurse. VA hospital. Shot ten times by Border Patrol agents on January 24, 2026.

They were Americans. They were killed by federal agents. And Congress has not exercised its oversight authority.

Constitutional documentation ensures these facts remain in the permanent public record.

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Sources

• Video analysis: Reuters, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR

• Eyewitness testimony: Federal court filings, January 24-25, 2026

• Family statements: Associated Press, Minnesota DFL

• Official statements: DHS press conference, January 24, 2026

• Background: CBS News, NBC News, Al Jazeera, ABC News

Last updated: January 25, 2026