Alex Pretti identified as man fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis
Pretti didn’t have a serious criminal record, was issued a nursing license in 2021 and lived in south Minneapolis.
Sources close to the investigation have identified the man shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24, as Alex Jeffrey Peretti.
This incident comes after the death of Rene Goode, who was killed by a police officer on January 7 in Minneapolis.
Peretti, 37, resided in South Minneapolis.
At a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated that the victim was a 37-year-old white man with a criminal record that included only minor parking violations. Police sources confirmed Saturday that their records showed no serious criminal record for Peretti.
O’Hara added that the man held a concealed carry permit and a public carry authorization, information later confirmed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
According to records, Peretti was a student at the University of Minnesota. His LinkedIn profile indicated he had been a “junior researcher” at the University of Minnesota College of Medicine since 2012. State records show Pretty graduated with a nursing degree in 2021, a degree valid until March 2026.
Pretty graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006, according to school district spokeswoman Lori Blakeslee.
“I’ve spoken with the administration, and we are shocked and deeply saddened,” Blakeslee said.
Although Walz did not identify Pretty as the man killed, he said at a press conference Saturday that he was a Minnesota resident and that “we are all aware of what happened this morning and the magnitude of the tragedy.”
Moments earlier, Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino had stated at a press conference that the man killed “wanted to do as much harm as possible to the agents.”
Walz refuted this version, calling it misleading.
“Thank goodness we have video,” Walz said. “It’s absurd. It’s absurd and false.”
He dismissed the federal authorities’ haste to pass judgment, asserting that, as with the death of Renee Goode, shot on January 7 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross south of Minneapolis, a full state investigation into this killing is necessary and will be conducted.
“They’re going to start smearing this man’s reputation,” Walz said. “They’ve already exploited this. But you’re all going to start realizing, and some of you probably already have, that there are multiple sides to this case.” And I’m going back to what we were talking about. They’re asking you not to believe what you see and hear. Not to believe the facts.
“Justice will be served for the people of Minnesota,” Walz added.
