Who was Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti shot to death?

A man shot to death by federal agents in Minneapolis has been identified by his family as 37-year-old critical care nurse Alex Pretti.

Described as an avid outdoorsman with a passion for mountain biking, he is understood to have joined the protests after Renee Good, also 37, was shot dead in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent earlier this month.

Conflicting accounts have emerged about the moments before his death.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said an agent fired in self-defense after Pretty, who they claimed was armed with a handgun, refused to disarm him. Some witnesses and officials, as well as Preeti’s family, have disputed this account.

Preity worked as an intensive care unit nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital, her family said in a statement. They told the Associated Press (AP) that he was upset by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration in the city.

Preity’s mother also said her son was deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations.

“He hated people destroying the land,” Susan Pretty told The Associated Press.

She added: “He was an outdoorsman. He took his dogs with him wherever he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.”

According to the Associated Press, Pretty enjoyed adventures with his beloved Catahoula leopard dog, Joule, who died about a year ago.

His family said he had no interactions with law enforcement other than a few traffic tickets. Court records show he has no criminal record, the Associated Press reported.

Pretty’s parents, who live in Wisconsin, said they recently told their son to be careful when protesting.

“We had a discussion with him about two weeks ago about, you know, keep protesting but don’t participate, don’t do anything stupid,” his father, Michael Pretty, told The Associated Press.

“He said he knew it. He knew it.”

Pretty’s family also explained that he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota, but they never knew he was carrying it.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara also said police believed he was a legal gun owner and had a firearms license, BBC America partner CBS reported.

After seeing the video suggesting their son was a “domestic terrorist,” Preeti’s family issued a statement calling the “government’s sickening lies about our son reprehensible and disgusting.”

They claim the video shows Pretty was not holding a gun when he was restrained by federal agents.

“Please know the truth about our son. He was a good man,” they urged in the statement.

Preti was a Democratic voter who participated in the wave of street protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police in 2020, his ex-wife told The Associated Press.

She said he might yell at law enforcement officers at protests but was never known to get physical.

Pretty, a U.S. citizen born in Illinois, grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played football, baseball and ran track at Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boys Choir.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment, according to his family.

He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

His parents said their last conversation with their son was days before he was shot and they discussed repairs he made to their garage door, the Associated Press reported.

A Latino man completed the job, and Pretty’s parents said he tipped the man $100 (£74) given what was happening in Minneapolis.

Dmitri Drekonja, a doctor who worked with Preti, told ABC News the two bonded over their interest in mountain biking and would compare notes on which routes to ride.

“He’s the kind of guy you like to be around, and this helpful, smiling, joking guy gets labeled a terrorist? That’s really annoying,” he said.

Neighbors described Preity as quiet and warm-hearted.

“He was a great guy,” Sujita, who lives below the nurse, told The Associated Press and said he moved into the building about three years ago. “He had a great heart.”

Preity lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but his neighbors said he was not a loner.

“I never thought of him as a guy with a gun,” Guitard said.