{"id":7491,"date":"2026-01-29T09:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7491"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:24:10","slug":"%f0%9f%94%a5-he-knew-the-risk-and-still-chose-to-go-alex-prettis-parents-describe-the-final-phone-call-before-his-death-the-warning-he-acknowledged-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7491","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udd25 \u201c\u2018He Knew the Risk \u2014 and Still Chose to Go\u2019: Alex Pretti\u2019s Parents Describe the Final Phone Call Before His Death, the Warning He Acknowledged, and the Question They Say Still Has No Answer\u201d In the days before Alex Pretti was killed in Minneapolis, his parents say there was nothing unusual about their last phone call with their son \u2014 and that may be what haunts them most. According to his parents, Alex had grown increasingly vocal about what he believed was wrong around him \u2014 not out of recklessness, but out of conscience. As an ICU nurse, he had spent years watching people at their most vulnerable. That, they say, shaped how he moved through the world. Silence was never comfortable for him. In the days after his death, his parents posted an emotional video tribute online that quickly went viral \u2014 a personal glimpse into the life behind the headlines. In it, viewers can see Alex laughing, interacting with friends and family, and expressing the very humanity that so many feel was overlooked in early official narratives. The clip has prompted thousands of comments and shares, with many viewers saying they were moved to tears by seeing him as a real person, not just a news subject…. WATCH VIDEO BELOW \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\ud83d\udd25\"\u00a0\u201c\u2018He Knew the Risk \u2014 and Still Chose to Go\u2019: Alex Pretti\u2019s Parents Describe the Final Phone Call Before His Death, the Warning He Acknowledged, and the Question They Say Still Has No Answer\u201d<\/h1>\n
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Pretti\u2019s father, Michael, also recalled a different conversation, telling Alex if he protests to be cautious and \u201cnot engage\u201d<\/p>\n

The parents of\u00a0Alex Pretti\u00a0shared insights into who their son was before he was shot by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.<\/p>\n

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Pretti was a 37-year-old\u00a0ICU nurse\u00a0who was\u00a0shot point-blank\u00a0by a U.S. Border Patrol officer during \u201ca targeted operation\u201d against \u201can illegal alien wanted for violent assault,\u201d Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told PEOPLE in a statement on Jan. 24.<\/p>\n

McLaughlin claimed that a man, later identified as lawful gun owner Pretti, \u201capproached\u201d officers while armed with a handgun. She claimed he \u201cviolently resisted\u201d as they attempted to disarm him. Since DHS\u2019 statement, witnesses have shared videos that contradict the agency\u2019s claims, including that Pretti was\u00a0holding a phone, not a gun, in the moments before the killing.<\/p>\n

After his death, Pretti\u2019s parents, Michael and Susan, told the\u00a0Associated Press\u00a0that they spoke to him on the phone a couple of days before he was killed.<\/p>\n

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They spoke about the repairs to his home\u2019s garage door, Michael and Susan told the AP. They said the man who repaired the garage door was Latino, and Alex gave him a $100 tip because of all that was happening in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

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Alex Pretti.<\/span>va.gov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The parents were aware that Pretti planned to protest and had discussed it with him in a previous conversation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,\u201d\u00a0Michael told the AP.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he said he knows that,\u201d Michael continued. \u201cHe knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family confirmed Pretti\u2019s death with the Hennepin County Medical Examiner after they tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0statement\u00a0released after Prett\u2019s death was confirmed, they described him as a \u201ckindhearted soul.\u201d They also rejected the DHS\u2019 account of the shooting, calling the statements \u201csickening lies.\u201d \u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are heartbroken but also very angry,\u201d the statement began. \u201cAlex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Jan. 25.<\/span>ROBERTO SCHMIDT \/ AFP via Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Six witnesses have recalled the shooting\u00a0and\u00a0medical care Pretti received in submitted affidavits. One was a woman driving who was instructed by Pretti where to park amid the protests. In addition to directing traffic, he was filming the scene on his cell phone, the witness alleges.<\/p>\n

Pretti later walked over with his camera out to film and \u201csupport\u201d the observers who were threatened with pepper spray by federal agents.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Pretti] put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him. Then [Pretti] tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying,\u201d the woman wrote. \u201cIt didn\u2019t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that agents then took Pretti down, and when he was on the ground, four or five agents \u201cstarted shooting him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second witness,\u00a0an unidentified 29-year-old licensed pediatrician, attempted to offer medical care to Alex, who was in \u201ccritical condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite informing the ICE agents that they are a physician, the agents \u201crepeatedly asked\u201d for a physician\u2019s license, the witness said in federal district court documents obtained by PEOPLE. Eventually, he was permitted to \u201cassess the victim\u201d after they \u201cpatted\u201d them down to make sure they \u201cdidn\u2019t have a weapon.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n