‘He wanted to help people’

The Minnesota man killed by federal agents Saturday has been identified as Alex Pretty, 37, a registered nurse working in an intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, which serves veterans.

It’s the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota this month, in addition to another non-fatal shooting amid a major crackdown in Minnesota by federal agents.

Pretty attended the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, where she was also a junior scientist in 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“He wanted to help people,” said Dimitri Draconza, chief of infectious diseases at the VA Hospital and a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, who worked with Pretty at the hospital and on the research project. “He was a super nice, super helpful guy – took care of his patients. I was amazed.”

He described Pretty as an “excellent” nurse and hard-working, joking and with an “infectious” spirit. “He was a good friend,” Draconza told the Guardian. “I love working with him.”

Alex’s father, Michael Pretty, echoed Draconza’s assessment, describing his son to the Associated Press as “a person who cares deeply about people and he’s very upset about what’s happening with ICE in Minneapolis and across the United States, just like millions of other people are upset.”

“He realized that protesting was a way of expressing, you know, that he cared about others,” the elder Pretty said.

Pretty’s father confirmed to the AP that his son participated in protests after the killing of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month.

Videos circulating online Saturday show Pretty directing traffic and filming federal agents, with her right hand holding her phone and her left hand free. Another video shows him being wrestled to the ground by several law enforcement officers before he is seen being shot multiple times. At least two officers can be seen with weapons drawn. Other videos show Pretty coming to the defense of a law enforcement officer who was tackled to the ground by a federal officer. The officer then repeatedly sprays Pretty with a chemical agent before leading her down the street with other agents.

As at least five agents corner Pretty on the ground, one appears to shoot him at close range, followed by a volley of more shots, before his body freezes.

“From what I saw, he was trying to help someone pull away, which is completely out of character for him,” Draconza said.

In a statement Saturday evening, Pretty’s parents urged the media to “bring out the truth about our son.”

“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” Michael and Susan Pretty said in a statement read aloud on local news channel KARE 11. Alex was a kind soul who cared deeply for his family and friends as well as the American veterans he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital.

“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he won’t be with us to see his impact.”

Related: A 37-year-old American citizen was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara later said during a press conference Saturday that Pretty’s previous interactions with law enforcement had only been for traffic tickets. O’Hara said Pretty was a “legal firearm owner with a permit to carry.”

Pretty’s parents, who live in Wisconsin, told the AP that during a recent conversation with their son, they warned him to be careful during protests.

“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago, you know, go ahead and protest, but engage, don’t do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretty said. “And he said he knew. He knew.”

While Pretty was in nursing school, Draconza hired her to help support a study to prevent C. diff, a devastating bacterial infection. “He was instrumental in completing our trial,” Draconza said. “He was always asking the rest of the team what he could do. He was always trying to do what he could to make room for others.”

Pretty received her nursing license in 2021, and it was active until 2026. He also assisted in the investigation in 2016.

The Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses (MNORN) released a statement about Pretty’s death on Saturday afternoon: “Today, our nursing community is in mourning. We have lost a fellow registered nurse in an act of violence related to immigration enforcement. Each of us, regardless of where we stand, is at the heart of this moment, the loss of caring. A colleague, a human being cuts us deep.

“This message isn’t about politics. It’s about grieving a life taken too soon and honoring the calling we all share. As nurses, we understand loss in ways that others don’t. We know how quickly lives can change, how fragile safety can feel, and how suffering affects families, colleagues, patients and communities.

told The Washington Post that she hired Pretty at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System nearly a decade ago, recalling her as “the sweetest, kindest, gentlest soul you’ll ever meet.”

“He was very bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, he wanted to get into the health care field, work with patients and become a nurse,” she told the Post. “He did amazing. Did his job really well, was a team player.”

Shaukat also said that Pretty “always stood up for people and human rights, helping fellow citizens and just being a good citizen of the society and community he lived in”. Of the videos of the shooting, Shaukat told the paper: “It feels so wrong. Alex knows, he was probably trying to protect or help or shield someone from the agents. He didn’t have a bone in his body; he always talked about doing the right thing.”

Pretty loved mountain biking, and she and Draconza always talked about biking together on the trails they both took.

“He found humor in life, and it’s very sad to see,” Drakenza said. “It’s just a huge tragedy.”

Victoria Beckimpis contributed reporting