Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was taken to the ground by several federal agents before one of them shot him. Pretti gathered with other protestors as Border Patrol was conducting what it called a targeted operation to detain an individual it said was in the country illegally. 

Trump-administration officials accused Pretti of approaching Border Patrol agents with a weapon and resisting efforts to disarm him. They said, without evidence, that Pretti was looking to “massacre law enforcement.” Analysis of videos of the incident by media organizations such as the New York Times found that the evidence contradicted that version of events, showing that Pretti approached the agents with his phone in his hand. His firearm was holstered and concealed until after the agents had forcefully brought him to the ground.

As a VA nurse, Pretti was a member of the American Federation of Government Employees chapter at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. AFGE President Everett Kelley said Pretti "dedicated his life to serving American veterans." 

“Our union is heartbroken,” Kelley said. “An AFGE member is dead. And a family’s life has been forever changed.”

Kelley blamed President Trump’s policies for creating the environment in which Pretti’s death occurred, though he encouraged his members to demonstrate restraint. 

“I urge everyone to remain disciplined and measured in public, even as we are rightly angry,” Kelley said. “Still, we must do what we can to maintain peace and calm.”

The Trump administration was quick to denounce Pretti despite his work for the administration and with veterans, with Homeland Security Department Secretary Kristi Noem quickly labeling him a domestic terrorist. VA did not respond to a request for comment. Records indicate Pretti worked for VA since at least 2016. 

Pretti’s death marked the third shooting by federal law enforcement in Minnesota in recent weeks. Earlier this month, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Good, who was protesting the agency’s enforcement activities from her vehicle. Officers shot another man who was fleeing his attempted arrest. 

Doug Massey, president of the AFGE chapter that represents employees in VA's headquarters, said the pain of Pretti's death would be widespread. 

“Alex…was known by colleagues, friends, and family as a compassionate caregiver who was deeply committed to helping others,” Massey said. “His senseless death is a profound loss to his loved ones, his patients, and our union family.”

The shooting could have further implications for federal employees: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in response to the shooting that his party would not agree to a six-bill funding package next week if it contains DHS appropriations. Half of the 12-annual must pass spending bills for fiscal 2026 have already cleared Congress, but the remaining six are still pending before the Senate. The House already approved them. 

In addition to DHS, those measures would fund the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State and Treasury, as well as other related agencies. They are currently operating under a stopgap continuing resolution that is set to expire Jan. 30. Lawmakers could opt to fund just those agencies and negotiate separately over DHS, though such an approach would require new votes in both the House and Senate.