Overview

The 2026 ICE Shooting of Alex Pretti refers to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shooting happened on January 24th, 2026, roughly two weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in the same city. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Pretti was armed and resisted disarming attempts by ICE, resulting in the agent shooting him in self-defence. This claim has been challenged by some, including Pretti's family members and eyewitnesses at the scene of the incident. Pretti notably worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital.

Pretti's death inspired further criticism and outrage towards ICE and the Trump administration, especially because of how close the incident was to Renee Good's death. Some referred to the incident as a "public execution" as it sparked further police brutality debates. In contrast, others defended ICE and mocked his death, including through a series of memes combining the names "Pretti" and "Good" to make the phrase "Pretti Good."

Days after the shooting, Republicans reportedly called for a more thorough investigation of the incident. U.S. President Donald Trump sent "border czar" Tom Homan to Minnesota to oversee ICE amid concerns over the incident. The federal government notably withheld the name of Pretti's shooter following the incident.

Background

On January 24th, 2026, a video began circulating online of a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Nicollet Avenue. In the video, which purportedly took place around 9:05 a.m. CST, ICE agents are seen attempting to get a man, later identified as 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, onto the ground. After struggling to apprehend Pretti, an ICE agent shoots Pretti several times. The ICE agent's identity has not been made public.

The uncensored video of the shooting was posted by numerous people online, including X^[1] / Twitter user @factpostnews that day, garnering over 1.4 million views and 3,600 likes in two days.

Another angle of the incident was posted online that same day by X^[2] user @DropSiteNews, garnering over 33,000 likes, 15,000 reposts and 5.7 million views in two days. It was reposted by X^[3] user @ryangrim shortly after, gaining over 113,000 likes, 41,000 reposts and 21 million views in two days.

Developments

Alex Pretti's death resulted in further anti-ICE protests in Minnesota in late January 2026. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also called for an end to the ICE presence in the state, and the shooting was placed under investigation.^[4] Reportedly, local shops opened their doors to protestors to help them avoid retaliation from the police and ICE.^[4]

Department of Homeland Security and President Trump's Response

On January 24th, 2026, the DHS X^[5] page made a post about the shooting of Pretti. In its post, the DHS claims that Alex Pretti approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a gun as agents were trying to apprehend an illegal immigrant with a criminal history of assault. DHS writes that Pretti "violently resisted" and an ICE agent fired defensive shots, which ended up killing Pretti.

The post reads, "The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement." The post also shares an image of a gun on a seat, a Sig Sauer P320 sidearm.

Later that day, President Trump responded to the shooting on Truth Social.^[6] In his post, Trump also shares the photo of the gun, writing, " – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!"

He also wrote about the alleged fraud by the Somali community in Minnesota, which was the supposed reason for the increased ICE presence in the state, then writing, "Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud. The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!"

Trump finishes the post by saying, " LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!"

Alex Pretti Press Conference In Minneapolis

On January 24th, 2026, a press conference about the shooting was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara spoke about the situation, criticizing ICE.

Shooting Breakdowns / Analyses

As discussions about the ICE shooting and the claims of self-defense increased, people began examining videos of the incident to try to see a gun in Alex Pretti's hands and explain what happened.

For example, an analysis was posted by X^[7] user @adamscochran on January 24th, 2026, garnering over 11,000 likes in two days and finding no evidence of Pretti reaching for his weapon or reason for ICE to shoot Pretti. He does notably highlight what appears to be a gun at Pretti's waist

ABC News^[8] published a minute-by-minute breakdown on January 26th that analyzes five videos, also finding no evidence of Pretti threatening ICE agents with his gun.

Continued Investigation / Details

On January 24th, 2026, Daily Mail^[9] reported that the DHS blocked investigators from the scene of the crime, even though they had a warrant to investigate.

On January 25th, The Guardian^[10] published an article claiming that a sworn witness gave testimony that Alex Pretti did not have a gun.

On January 26th, 2026, The Guardian^[11] then reported that Trump's administration is looking into Pretti's death. The article quotes an interview with President Trump and the Wall Street Journal,^[12] where he is quoted as saying, "I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either."

This quote has notably been considered hypocritical by some online, due to the support that Kyle Rittenhouse received online when he shot and killed two people during a protest.

AI-Enhanced Picture of Alex Pretti

In the days following Alex Pretti's death, an AI-altered image of him was reportedly spread online in late January 2026 and used by both protestors and news outlets.^[17]

The original picture of Pretti depicts him in a staff portrait with his nurse garb from the VA hospital he worked at in Minneapolis, with the doctored AI image making him appear more clean-cut and saturated compared to the original, also changing his face and hairline slightly.

The AI-edited version of Pretti's staff picture also spread on social media in late January 2026, spawning both discourse and memes.

For instance, X^[19] user _emergent_ posted a tweet on January 26th condemning the use of the AI image that also included a Hello, Human Resources?! meme using it, garnering over 231,300 views, 7,000 likes and 170 replies in four days.

That same day, X^[20] user 9mmsmg replied to a tweet from another user that included the image in a post lamenting Pretti's death, writing, "Why are you guys trying to make him better looking through AI and filters? That's actually twisted." The reply received over 1.5 million views, 8,800 likes and 170 replies in four days.

Later on January 26th, 2026, X^[21] user GarbageHuman24 replied to 9mmsmg's tweet with another AI-generated meme that made Alex Pretti appear more Chad-like, garnering over 1.2 million views, 35,000 likes and 360 replies in four days.

On January 28th, 2026, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin notably used another AI-altered image of Pretti's scuffle with ICE agents before his death while speaking on the Senate floor, which was later shared to his official X^[18] account (SenatorDurbin) that day, receiving nearly a million views, 480 likes and 2,400 replies in two days. The post received a Community Note that pointed out the use of AI.

I am on the Senate floor to condemn the killing of U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers and to demand the Trump Administration take accountability for its actions. https://t.co/kd9HXi1rQN

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) January 28, 2026

Video of Alex Pretti Interacting With Agents Days Before

On January 28th, 2026, a video was released by the YouTube channel The News Movement, titled "Man who appears to be Alex Pretti filmed interacting with federal agents," which showed Alex Pretti having an altercation with ICE agents on January 13th, 11 days before he was killed by them. The video garnered over 765,000 views, 4,400 likes and 9,100 comments in two days.

The video shows Pretti confronting several officers by kicking and breaking the taillight of their SUV, which then stops as the federal agents exit the vehicle and tackle him to the ground. Per reporting by CBS News,^[22] Pretti appears to have a handgun in his waistband during the scuffle.

The video of Pretti scuffling with federal agents days before his death sparked widespread discussions online toward the end of January 2026, including claims that it was an AI-generated video, despite outlets like CBS confirming its authenticity.^[22]

For example, on January 28th, the video was posted to the /r/isthisAI^[23] subreddit by Redditor ProtectionAdorable89, titled "Is this video of Alex Pretti AI? This was posted by Donald Trump Jr. on Instagram. I can’t tell if it’s AI or not but this is 100% something they would do."

The post received numerous responses, with many arguing over whether or not it was AI, eventually being locked by moderators. The post garnered over 8,100 upvotes and 2,300 comments in two days.

Online Reactions

The Minneapolis ICE shooting was widely discussed online in late January 2026, with many criticizing the Trump administration and ICE, calling the shooting a "public execution." Some began examining footage of the shooting to try to learn more about it, including whether the claims that Alex Pretti was armed were true.

On January 24th, 2026, Alex Pretti's parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, released a statement that was widely reposted and covered in the news.^[14]

For instance, the statement from Pretti's parents was reposted to the /r/Fauxmoi^[15] subreddit that same day, receiving over 132,000 upvotes and 880 comments in two days.

Numerous memes mocking ICE also spread online following the incident. For example, Redditor LumpeF20 posted a meme to the /r/memes^[16] subreddit with a joke about ICE burning membership records in 2028 after the Democrats win the presidency, garnering over 1,500 upvotes and 120 comments in a day.

"Pretti Good" Memes

Following the incident, various trolls and ICE supporters online started sharing memes using the phrase "Pretti Good," a combination of the last names of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

For example, on January 24th, 2026, X^[13] user @TheOnlyDSC posted a version of the meme that gained over 36,000 likes and 5,500 reposts in two days.

Related Events

2026 Minneapolis, Minnesota, ICE Shooting of Renee Good

The 2026 Minneapolis, Minnesota, ICE Shooting of Renee Good refers to the fatal shooting of a woman named Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent (later identified as Jonathan E. Ross) as she attempted to drive away from a group of agents. A video of the incident went viral on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026, the day the incident took place. In the clip, an ICE agent is seen attempting to open the driver's side door of the SUV (a burgundy Honda Pilot), and the vehicle is then seen driving off as another agent stands near the front of the car. The latter agent fires three times into the windshield and driver's side of the SUV, which then veers off and stops after striking another parked car.

Search Interest

External References