Thousands of Minnesotans honor Alex Pretti at several vigils

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    Thousands of Minnesotans honor Alex Pretti at several vigilsThousands of Minnesotans honor Alex Pretti at several vigils

Thousands of Minnesotans have gathered at several vigils across the Twin Cities on Saturday evening to honor Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent that morning.

RELATED: Police: 37-year-old US citizen shot, killed by federal agents in Minneapolis

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people gathered at Whittier Park in Minneapolis early Saturday evening, angered about Pretti’s death.

Attendees honored Pretti and voiced concerns about the ICE presence in Minnesota.

“I’m here to show my support for community and say ICE needs to get out,” says Hannah, who didn’t want to share her last name. “It’s stressful, sad, and scary. It’s horrible, yeah.”

“Obviously, we’ve seen another absolutely horrendous act of violence from the federal government today, that this city is no stranger to,” said Jack, who says he served in the U.S. Army from 2016 to 2020.

At the vigil, there’s concern about the future and what will happen in Minneapolis.

“None of us are safe, even if we’re complying,” Kira Berlin told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS at the vigil. “That doesn’t make us safe; it makes us helpless.”

“It’s my First Amendment right, it’s everybody’s First Amendment right to be out here and practice what we preach,” another person at the vigil said. “And Minneapolis does that better than almost anybody in the country.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS was also at a vigil near Minnehaha and Morris Park.

Pretti was an ICU nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, the Associated Press reports.

RELATED: The man killed by a US Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis was an ICU nurse, family says

AFGE Local 3669, the union that Pretti was a member of, sent 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the following statement, which reads, in part:

“Today, January 24, 2026, we lost a friend, a colleague, and a fellow member of AFGE. His name was Alex J. Pretti, a Registered Nurse who helped save the lives of veterans in the ICU. While the details of what happened earlier remain unclear, what is clear is that the occupation of Minnesota by the Federal Government is everything our Founding Fathers warned us against. We showed the world yesterday that Minnesota is ready to peaceably unite and protect our communities from Federal Government overreach and tyranny. And we will peaceably unite again tonight.“

ABC News found no criminal record for Pretti in Minnesota or Wisconsin, aside from traffic violations.

Pretti’s father, Michael, says the 37-year-old VA intensive care unit nurse was upset with the ICE presence in Minneapolis.

“He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street,” the elder Pretti said. “He cared about those people and knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reporter Richard Reeve spoke with Pretti’s neighbors.

Jeannie Wiener, a neighbor, said she is devastated about Pretti’s death.

“He was a gentle person, and I can’t even imagine him ever wanting to hurt anyone,” said Jeannie Wiener. “It’s horrific, it hits too close to home. I’m not surprised he was there. He’s a registered nurse and works at the veteran’s hospital, and he’s concerned about people.”

Kris Gray, who lives next to Pretti’s apartment in Whittier, said he wasn’t surprised the shooting happened one day after thousands of Minnesotans participated in a strike and peaceful rally on Friday.

“It’s just absolutely tragic to know that this happened to one of my neighbors, but it’s not surprising,” Gray added.

“It hits close to home because this has already been happening to our neighborhoods,” he said about the shooting. “We know people who were deported; we have immigrants on our block. Our neighborhood was stronger before ICE got here. ICE has done nothing to keep us safe.”
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