I wanted to write about tech today. I wanted to write about the Oscars. But I something far more pressing happened, another shooting in Minneapolis. For the second time in 19 days, federal agents have killed a citizen on the streets of Minneapolis, and the city is officially in a state of siege. If you thought the shooting of Renee Nicole Good was a tragic anomaly, Saturday proved you wrong. It wasn’t a glitch; it was the prologue. On Saturday morning, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who spent his days saving veterans at the VA Medical Center, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents during a protest in South Minneapolis.
The narrative has shifted. This isn’t just “unrest” anymore. This is a war zone. Here is what we know, and why this moment feels different.
1. Alex Pretti: A Healer, Not a Fighter
The government is already trying to spin this. The DHS press release calls him a “violent agitator.” But the people of Minneapolis knew him as Alex Pretti.
- The Profile: He was an ICU nurse. He worked at the Minneapolis VA. He spent his life keeping people alive.
- The Incident: According to multiple witness videos, Pretti stepped in to de-escalate a confrontation between an agent and a woman who had been shoved to the ground. He was holding a phone, not a weapon.
- The Result: Agents fired multiple shots. He died on the pavement, two miles from where Renee Good was killed.
2. The “Fog of War” (Lies vs. Video)
Just like with Renee Good, we are seeing two different realities play out.
- The Official Story: DHS claims Pretti “approached agents with a weapon” and “violently resisted.”
- The Video Evidence: Bystander footage circulating on X (Twitter) shows Pretti with his hands visible, holding a phone, shielding a protestor. No gun is visible in his hands in the clips released so far.
- The Outcome: Trust is dead. When the government says “he had a gun,” and the video shows empty hands, the community doesn’t just get angry—they get radicalized.
3. The Escalation: Neighbors vs. Militia
This is the part that scares me the most. After Renee Good died, it was “Protestors vs. ICE.” After Pretti died, the dynamic changed. We are now seeing “Citizen Militias” (armed groups from out of state) patrolling Minneapolis to “back the blue.” Last night, a 19-year-old protestor was shot during a clash with one of these groups near George Floyd Square. The police didn’t shoot him. A “civilian” did. We have crossed the line from police brutality to civil conflict.
The Verdict
Alex Pretti went to a protest to save lives. He left in a body bag. The Governor has activated the National Guard, but soldiers can’t fix a broken heart. Minneapolis doesn’t need more troops. It needs the truth. And until the body cam footage of Alex Pretti’s death is released—unedited—this city will continue to burn.
Rest in Power, Alex.
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