Here Is the Latest Information on Slain VA ICU Nurse Alex Pretti's Autopsy

The fatal shooting of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse Alex Pretti was filmed by several eyewitnesses. There are multiple angles, some of which were recorded mere feet from the incident. The nurse was killed by federal agents while he was documenting an arrest occurring in Minneapolis. Although Pretti had a gun he was legally authorized to carry, he was not holding it in either hand when he stepped in to help a woman who had been assaulted by an agent.

After Pretti was pepper-sprayed and wrestled to the ground by several agents, one of whom removed his gun, he was then shot multiple times. Some of the agents scattered, while a few knelt to the ground. According to one witness, they were looking for Pretti's gun. In the aftermath, Pretti was labeled a domestic terrorist by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and a would-be assassin by Stephen Miller. He was neither of those things. An autopsy will provide more answers. Here is the latest update.

According to NBC News, Pretti was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center at approximately 9:32 a.m., on Jan. 24, 2026. Prior to that, at 9:02 a.m., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff cut off Pretti's clothes as he was lying in the street. They began administering first aid, which included placing chest seals on his wounds. Two minutes later, fire department medics arrived.

As of Jan. 28, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with CBP, is overseeing the investigation into Pretti's death. Results of his autopsy will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office when they are available. The initial descriptions of Pretti and his motive were based on reports from CBP on the ground. "That’s precisely why an investigation is underway, and DHS will let the facts lead the investigation," said a DHS spokesperson.

Hours after Pretti was killed, sworn affidavits from eyewitnesses were filed in federal court in Minnesota, per The Guardian. One was made by a woman known as the "pink coat lady," and another was from a physician who lives nearby. Both names were redacted.

The testimony from the pink coat lady contradicted what CBP agents claimed happened. "The man did not approach the agents with a gun," she said. "It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up." She continued, "They shot him so many times … I don’t know why they shot him."

The physician said he witnessed the shooting from his apartment window. Like the pink coat lady, he did not see Pretti brandish a weapon of any kind. After the shooting, the physician attempted to help. "At first, the ICE agents wouldn’t let me through," they said, noting CPR wasn't being performed. After insisting they let them help Pretti, the physician said they thought they saw federal agents "counting his bullet wounds."