MINNESOTA – A major investigative report has surfaced new information about Alex Pretti’s final days. Sources cited in a CNN exclusive say Pretti had a previously unreported run-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents just a week before he was killed.
In that earlier incident, he reportedly left with a broken rib after a physical struggle with federal officers during protest activity in Minneapolis. The disclosure adds a new layer to what happened on Saturday, January 24, 2026, when Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents.
The shooting happened during the Trump administration’s broad immigration enforcement push, described by federal officials as the largest operation in U.S. history. The crackdown has led to thousands of arrests and sharp backlash, especially in sanctuary-leaning cities such as Minneapolis.
Alex Pretti’s death was the third shooting involving federal immigration agents in the city in under three weeks, following the January 7 death of Renee Nicole Good.
Alex Pretti’s Prior Encounter
People familiar with federal records and witness statements say the earlier clash took place during a protest tied to immigration raids. Witnesses and Alex Pretti reportedly described a scene in which five agents tackled him while he watched officers chase a family on foot.
During the restraint, one agent allegedly put a heavy weight on Alex Pretti’s back, which led to a fractured rib. He was released at the scene and was not charged, but he later told people close to him that he thought he might die during the encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has tracked contacts with protesters through internal paperwork described as “intel collection non-arrests.” Pretti’s name appeared in those records, according to the report, which suggests agents could have recognized him when they crossed paths again on January 24. That matters because it means Pretti may not have been viewed as a stranger at the scene, but as someone already known to immigration enforcement.
The new reporting also pushes back on early descriptions of Alex Pretti as a random troublemaker or only a “First Amendment witness,” a phrase used by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Instead, it paints a picture of repeated friction between Pretti and federal agents, with tensions that may have carried into the final encounter.
Shooting Video and Official Claims Collide
On the morning of January 24, near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood, Alex Pretti was filming federal agents on his cellphone as they tried to enter a local business (reported as a donut shop) during protests.
Bystander video reviewed and verified by outlets including The New York Times and BBC Verify shows Pretti holding his phone in one hand while lifting his other, empty hand. The footage also appears to show him trying to protect a woman after agents pushed her down and used pepper spray.
Videos from multiple angles show agents taking Alex Pretti to the ground before shots were fired. Pretti, who held a legal firearm permit, had a gun on him, and agents tried to remove it during the struggle. Witnesses who later submitted affidavits with the ACLU said they did not see Pretti point or display the weapon.
A preliminary internal Customs and Border Protection review, leaked to congressional sources and reported by NPR, says Pretti resisted arrest, but it does not describe him attacking agents or making a lethal threat. That stands in contrast to early statements from the Trump administration that labeled him a “would-be assassin” planning to kill agents.
Alex Pretti’s family has strongly rejected those claims. In a statement, they called the government’s version “sickening lies” and pointed to a video that appears to show him unarmed in the moments before agents tackled him.
Megyn Kelly Truthful on Pretti
The new details have intensified debate across political media. Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, host of The Megyn Kelly Show, drew widespread criticism after discussing the case on Monday. “I know I’m supposed to feel sorry for Alex Pretti, but I don’t,” Kelly said.
She argued that Pretti chose to “inject himself” into law enforcement activity, and she framed the outcome as “FAFO” (f*** around and find out). Kelly also called him an “agitator” and “subversive,” suggesting that staying away from federal operations could have prevented the death.
The remarks triggered accusations of cruelty, especially because Alex Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at a VA hospital caring for veterans.
Her response reflects the deep split over immigration enforcement. Supporters of tougher tactics see the earlier confrontation as proof that Pretti repeatedly interfered. Critics view the broken-rib incident as another example of excessive force by masked federal agents operating in city neighborhoods.
With the earlier ICE clash now public, the case looks less like a single confrontation and more like a series of escalating encounters between a committed protest observer and heavily armed federal agents.
The new context raises fresh concerns about training, de-escalation, and whether prior knowledge about Pretti affected how agents handled the January 24 scene.
Calls for an independent investigation have grown, including from some Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Minnesota leaders continue pressing for federal agents to leave, while protests continue and memorials expand at the site of the shooting.
As the country argues over the costs of aggressive immigration enforcement on city streets, the report about Pretti’s earlier injury adds a troubling detail. It also may reshape how many Americans think about accountability during a period of mass arrests and deportation efforts.
