Bystander Breaks Silence on Video of Minneapolis Shooting Involving Alex Pretti
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Stella Carlson — identified widely by the distinctive pink coat she wore and the footage she shot with her phone — spoke publicly this week about the moments leading up to and following the fatal encounter between Pretti and U.S. federal agents, including officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol. Carlson’s account aligns with multiple streams of bystander video that contradicted early official accounts and raised questions about the justification for deadly force in broad daylight on a busy city street.
Who Was Alex Pretti?
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Loved by colleagues, friends, and family alike, he was known in the community as a caring caregiver, a devoted friend, and someone who would intervene to help others — traits that people who knew him say defined his actions on the day he died.
Described by friends and family as generous, warm-hearted, and quick to laugh, Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he played sports, sang in a boy choir, and pursued scientific and medical education before becoming a registered nurse. His parents have publicly stated that he cared deeply about veterans, his community, and “making a difference” in the world.
In the hours and days after his death, colleagues at the Minneapolis VA held a moment of silence in his honor, pointing to the profound respect and affection his peers felt for him.
The Fatal Encounter: What Bystander Video Shows
According to video footage widely circulated on social media and reported by major news outlets, Pretti was documenting an ongoing federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis when events turned violent.
Carlson said she was walking to a community event when she saw crowds and activity on Nicollet Avenue and began recording with her phone. Her footage — now one of the most widely shared — captures chaotic scenes of federal agents moving among civilians.
“I knew he was gone because I watched it,” Carlson told reporters. She said that after the shooting, agents stood over Pretti’s body, joked, and counted bullet impacts — behavior she characterized as callous and devoid of urgency to render aid.
Federal Narrative vs. Bystander Evidence
Immediately after the shooting, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claimed that federal officers fired “defensive shots” after encountering a man with a handgun who resisted and posed a threat. Officials suggested that Pretti violently resisted efforts to disarm him.
However, multiple bystander videos, including Carlson’s testimony and footage verified by news organizations, directly contradict those claims. In the recordings, Pretti is seen with a cell phone in hand, not brandishing a weapon prior to the initial confrontation. There is no footage of him drawing or aiming a gun before he was tackled and shot.
Further scrutiny of the footage suggests that a registered firearm that Pretti legally carried was removed from his waistband by federal agents before the shots were fired — raising questions among civil rights advocates and legal experts about the aggressive nature of the response.
Federal officials have said that the internal investigation continues, and the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights probe led by the FBI into the circumstances of Pretti’s death.
A Larger Pattern? 11 Days Earlier
In that video, Pretti is seen amid a crowd observing an unmarked convoy — reportedly affiliated with ICE operations — and appears to curse at agents. While that encounter was less violent, its emergence in the public record has fueled debate over what role, if any, it played in heightening tensions or influencing the agents’ response on January 24.
Critics of the official account argue that these previous confrontations do not justify lethal force, especially when the footage from the fatal incident shows Pretti attempting to help another person — not instigating violence.
Community Outrage and Protest
The shooting of Alex Pretti sparked widespread protests and civil unrest across Minneapolis. Demonstrators have denounced the use of force by federal agents, called for ICE and related federal units to withdraw from the city, and accused the Trump administration of systemic abuse of power.
Within hours of the incident, crowds gathered near the site of the shooting on Nicollet Avenue. The protests intensified existing tensions around federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, which had already been controversial following the earlier killing of another civilian, Renée Good, by an ICE agent earlier in January.
Gov. Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead investigations, even as federal law enforcement asserted control of the scene. Protests have included clashes with federal agents, the use of riot control measures, and ongoing confrontations between local residents and ICE personnel.
Many protesters have framed their opposition not just as resistance to individual tactics but as part of a broader stand against what they describe as a militarized and unaccountable federal presence in their communities.
Political and Legal Fallout
The Pretti shooting has broken through partisan divides in some quarters, prompting calls, even among Republicans, for deeper investigations into federal immigration tactics and accountability for federal law enforcement. Members of Congress have demanded transparency and independent oversight of the ongoing probe.
The Department of Justice’s decision to open a civil rights investigation and place Border Patrol agents on administrative leave suggests recognition of the gravity of the situation — but it also underscores how polarized and contested this incident has become.
At the federal level, statements from administration officials have continued to frame the event as a response to a perceived threat, even as video evidence complicates that narrative. Independent legal analysts say such discrepancies between official claims and bystander footage are likely to be central in any legal proceedings, civil rights litigation, or Congressional inquiries that follow.
Faces and Stories Behind the Headlines
Beyond political uproar and legal maneuvering, the human dimension of this tragedy has resonated deeply within Minneapolis and beyond.
Friends, family members, and colleagues of Pretti have shared stories that paint a picture of a man who was deeply committed to his work as a nurse — someone who put others first and cared deeply about his community. His parents have publicly denounced what they characterize as a campaign of misinformation aimed at portraying their son as something he was not.
In the Minneapolis neighborhood near where Pretti was killed, community members have organized vigils, memorials, and mutual aid efforts. Business owners have offered food and shelter to protesters; healthcare workers have tended to those injured by tear gas and crowd control. These scenes of grassroots solidarity underscore how the incident has become not just a legal flashpoint, but a catalyst for community activism and collective grieving.
The Broader Debate on Civil Liberties
The intersection of federal enforcement authority, civil liberties, and public accountability has never been more sharply contested. The shooting of Alex Pretti — an unarmed citizen, bystander, and caregiver trying to help a fellow civilian — has crystallized concerns about the scope and conduct of federal immigration operations in American cities.
Civil rights advocates argue that the Pretti case should force a rigorous examinatio
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