{"id":1912,"date":"2026-01-26T19:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2026-01-26T19:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:24:17","slug":"family-speaks-out-relatives-of-icu-nurse-alex-pretti-are-refuting-the-official-account-saying-he-was-just-holding-the-phone-and-trying-to-help-when-it-happened-but-the-last-2-text-messages-his-fam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/?p=1912","title":{"rendered":"FAMILY SPEAKS OUT: Relatives of ICU nurse Alex Pretti are refuting the official account, saying he was just holding the phone and trying to help when it happened. But the last 2 text messages his family revealed about his final moments are now raising unanswered questions\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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va.gov;Getty<\/p>\n

The family of the man who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 has spoken out
\nAlex Pretti\u2019s loved ones remembered him as a \u201ckindhearted soul,\u201d and they hit back at claims made about the ICU nurse
\n\u201cAlex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact,\u201d the man\u2019s family said<\/p>\n

The family of\u00a0Alex Pretti, the man who was\u00a0shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, is speaking out and hitting back at claims made about the ICU nurse.<\/p>\n

In a statement, obtained by\u00a0CNN, Pretti\u2019s loved ones began, \u201cWe are heartbroken but also very angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends, and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital,\u201d they continued. \u201cAlex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pretti\u2019s family then gave more insight into his final moments, indicating that he may have been attempting to \u201cprotect a woman\u201d before he was fatally shot.<\/p>\n

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The scene of the Minneapolis shooting on Jan. 24.<\/span>Arthur Maiorella\/Anadolu via Getty<\/p>\n

The family next took aim at the United States\u2019 leadership under President\u00a0Donald Trump, writing in their statement, \u201cThe sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security\u00a0(DHS),\u00a0alleged in a statement to PEOPLE that Pretti \u201capproached\u201d U.S. Border Patrol officers while armed with a handgun and \u201cviolently resisted\u201d as they attempted to disarm him.<\/p>\n

She said an agent then fired \u201cdefensive shots.\u201d Pretty was 37.<\/p>\n

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During a\u00a0press conference\u00a0after the shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O\u2019Hara\u00a0was questioned about the DHS\u2019 account of the incident. He referred to footage captured from the scene, stating, \u201cThe video speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pretti\u2019s family also questioned the DHS\u2019 account, writing in their statement, \u201cAlex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump\u2019s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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,\u201d they continued, then concluding: \u201cPlease get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Alex Pretti.<\/span>va.gov<\/p>\n

McLaughlin\u2019s statement to PEOPLE said \u201cDHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault\u201d at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Jan. 24.<\/p>\n

At least 200 protesters arrived near the scene of the shooting soon after,\u00a0The Associated Press reported, leading to confrontations between federal law enforcement and locals.<\/p>\n

During the Jan. 24 press conference, O\u2019Hara said preliminary details about the incident suggested that there was \u201cmore than one law enforcement officer involved in the discharge.\u201d He also pointed to \u201cpublic video that shows several law enforcement officers in a scuffle with someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pretti\u2019s nursing license, obtained by PEOPLE, shows he had been a registered nurse since January 2021 and previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n

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  va.gov;Getty The family of the man who was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 has spoken out Alex Pretti\u2019s loved ones remembered him as … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1914,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/1914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heightshowtime.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}