Alex Pretti’s Parents Recall Their Final Phone Call with Son Days Before He Was Killed in Minneapolis

The parents of Alex Pretti are remembering the final conversation they shared with their son just days before he was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis — a call that now carries heartbreaking weight.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed on Jan. 24 during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a “targeted operation” involving a suspect wanted for violent assault. According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Pretti allegedly approached officers while armed and “violently resisted” as agents attempted to disarm him.

However, witness videos and sworn affidavits later surfaced that sharply contradict the government’s account, suggesting Pretti was holding a cellphone — not a gun — in the moments before he was shot.

A Simple Conversation That Became a Final Goodbye

Michael and Susan Pretti told the Associated Press that they last spoke with their son just a couple of days before his death. The conversation was ordinary — centered on repairs to Alex’s garage door.

The parents said the repairman was Latino, and Alex tipped him $100 out of concern for what was happening in Minneapolis at the time.

“That was just who he was,” his parents said — generous, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate.

They were aware Alex planned to attend protests and had spoken with him earlier about staying safe.

“We told him, go ahead and protest,” Michael Pretti recalled. “But don’t engage. Don’t do anything reckless.”

According to his father, Alex assured them he understood.

“He knew that,” Michael said. “He knew.”

Family Rejects DHS Narrative, Calls Statements “Lies”

After confirming Alex’s death through the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, the family released a statement expressing both grief and outrage.

“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the statement read. “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.”

The family strongly rejected the DHS account of the shooting, calling official statements “sickening lies,” and describing Alex as a “kindhearted soul” who dedicated his life to saving others as an ICU nurse.

Witnesses Describe Chaotic, Violent Scene

Six witnesses have since submitted affidavits detailing what they saw during the incident.

One woman said Pretti was directing traffic and filming the scene on his phone. She alleged he later approached agents with his hands raised after officers threatened observers with pepper spray.

“[Pretti] put his hands above his head,” she wrote. “He didn’t look like he was resisting — he was trying to help.”

She said agents tackled him, and once he was on the ground, four or five officers began shooting.

Another witness, a licensed pediatrician, attempted to render medical aid. Despite identifying himself as a physician, he said agents repeatedly questioned him before allowing him to approach Pretti.

When he finally reached Alex, the doctor said he did not observe officers checking for a pulse or administering CPR.

“Instead, they appeared to be counting his bullet wounds,” the physician stated in federal court documents.

The doctor began CPR after finding no pulse, but Alex had already sustained at least 10 gunshot wounds fired within approximately five seconds, according to later findings.

A Life Defined by Compassion, Not Conflict

As investigations continue, Alex Pretti’s parents say they want the public to remember their son not as a protester or a statistic — but as a nurse, a helper, and a man who cared deeply about others.

“He wanted to make the world better,” they said.

For them, the last phone call — about a garage door and a small act of kindness — now stands as a painful reminder of the life their son lived, and the one that was cut short.