Minneapolis — Minneapolis also mourned the intensive care nurse He was killed by border guard officers In a hail of gunfire, those who knew Alex Pretty He came forward on Sunday to challenge the narrative of senior Trump administration officials that he was a violent “domestic terrorist” and potential murderer.
Pretty, 37, is remembered by his family, neighbors and loved ones of sick veterans as kind and warm-hearted.
A video posted on social media showed Preity reading the final salute at the foot of the flag-draped body of Terrance Lee Randolph, an Air Force vet who died in a hospital in 2024.
Preeti says in the video: “Today we remember that freedom is not free.” “We must work for it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it.”
Randolph’s son, Mac Randolph, remembers Pretty caring for his father in his final days, and said he found the words “absolutely right” in the wake of Saturday’s fatal shooting.
“He was very knowledgeable and caring,” MacRandolph said. “He was able to answer any questions we had and really listened to our concerns. He treated my father and our family with the utmost dignity and respect. He was truly one of the best among us.”
Family members say Preeti had great compassion for and was disturbed by those he saw being mistreated President Donald Trump’s campaign against immigration In his city. He participated in the protests that followed January 7 murder to Rene is good By an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Pretty was also a lover of the outdoors and enjoyed adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard who recently passed away.
“He cared deeply about people and was very upset about what was happening in Minneapolis and across the United States with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while millions of other people are upset,” Michael Peretti told The Associated Press on Saturday shortly after his son’s death. “He thought it was a terrible thing to kidnap children, you know, and take people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he participated in the protests.”
Preeti was an American citizen and was born in Illinois. Like Judd, court records show he had no criminal record, and his family said he had no interactions with law enforcement except for a few traffic violations.
In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Colorado, told him to be careful When protesting.
“We had this discussion with him a couple of weeks ago or so, you know, keep protesting, but don’t participate, don’t do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretty said. “He said he knew it. He knew it.”
The Department of Homeland Security said the man was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Officials did not determine whether Preeti was the one who brandished the gun. In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged shortly after, Pretty is seen holding a phone in his hand but none of them appear to show him a visible weapon.
Family members said Pretty owned a gun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they never knew he had it.
The family first learned of the shooting when an Associated Press reporter contacted them. They watched the video and said that the dead man appeared to be their son. They then tried to contact officials in Minnesota.
“I can’t get any information from anyone,” Michael Pretty said Saturday. “They told the police to call Border Patrol, Border Patrol is closed, and the hospitals will not answer any questions.”
Eventually, the parents contacted the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed there was a body matching their son’s name and description.
As of Saturday evening, the family said they had not yet heard from anyone in federal law enforcement about their son’s death.
After watching videos of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and others suggesting their son was a “domestic terrorist” who attacked the officers who shot him, they issued a written statement describing themselves as both sad and angry.
“The disgusting lies the administration is telling about our son are disgusting and disgusting,” the family said. They added that the videos showed that Alex Pretty was not carrying a gun when he was tackled by federal agents, but was holding his phone in one hand and using the other hand to protect a woman who was being pepper sprayed.
They said: “Please reveal the truth about our son. He was a good man.”
Alex Pretty grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir.
After graduation, he went to the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and environment, according to the family. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.
Pretty’s ex-wife, who spoke to the AP but later said she did not want her name used, said she was not surprised he was involved in protesting Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown. She said she had not spoken to him since their divorce more than two years ago and she moved to another state.
She said he was a Democratic voter and that he participated in the wave of street protests after the killing George Floyd By a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, not far from the neighborhood where the couple lived. She described him as someone who would yell at law enforcement officers during protests, but she had never known him to physically clash.
She said Pretty had a permit to carry a concealed firearm about three years ago, and that he owned at least one semi-automatic handgun when they broke up.
Pretty lived in a four-unit apartment building about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from where he was shot. Neighbors described him as calm and kind-hearted.
“He’s a great person,” said Sue Guitar, who lives downstairs from Pretty’s house and moved into the building about three years ago. “He has a great heart.”
If there’s something suspicious going on in the neighborhood, or when they’re concerned about a possible gas leak in the building, he steps in to help.
Preeti lived alone and worked long hours as a nurse, but he was not alone, his neighbors said, and he would sometimes have friends over.
His neighbors knew he had guns — he sometimes used a rifle to shoot at a shooting range — but they were surprised by the idea that he might carry a gun on the streets.
“I never thought of him as someone with a gun,” Guitar said.
As a light dusting of snow fell in Minneapolis on Sunday morning, community members lit candles, laid fresh flowers and somberly stood around a makeshift vigil at the site of Preeti’s death. Pinecones were gathered to read “Long Live Alex Pretty.” Some of the bouquets had a layer of frost from being outside all night. A few Minneapolis police cars were parked nearby.
Pretty, a competitive bike racer, was taking care of his new Audi and was deeply attached to his dog, who died about a year ago.
His parents said the last conversation they had with their son was two days before his death. They talked about the repairs he had made to the garage door at his house. The worker was a Latino man, and they said that with everything going on in Minneapolis, he gave the man a $100 tip.
Preeti’s mother said that her son cares very much about the direction the country is headed, especially the direction of the Trump administration Roll back environmental regulations.
“He hated that people were just destroying the land,” Susan Pretty said. “He was a man who loved the outdoors. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.”
___
Besecker reported from Washington and Mustian reported from New York. Associated Press reporter Tim Sullivan contributed from Minneapolis.