January 26, 2026 09:12 AM UTC

Is Alex Pretti's Killing The Breaking Point?

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• by: Colorado Pols

As AP reports via Colorado Public Radio and you’ve probably already read after the story dominated the headlines this weekend, Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, had ties to the state of Colorado:

The family first learned of the shooting when they were called by an Associated Press reporter. They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota.

“I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael Pretti said Saturday. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.”

Eventually, the family called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son.

The initial reaction from the Trump administration to the shooting of Alex Pretti followed the pattern we’ve seen established after the killing by immigration agents of Renee Good, who also had ties to Colorado: blanket denial of any responsibility before any investigation had taken place, labeling Pretti a “domestic terrorist” due to the fact that he was carry a firearm.

From there, as the world knows now, the federal government’s story falls apart. Video from multiple angles has revealed that Pretti was not brandishing his legally permitted weapon, and that federal agents had forcibly disarmed Pretti before he was shot repeatedly. Like the case of Renee Good, the government’s knee-jerk instinct to deny any wrongdoing before that could possibly be known backfired, and their subsequent reliance on Pretti’s completely lawful carrying of a weapon to brand him a terrorist has incensed Trump’s usual allies in the gun rights community. USA TODAY:

Hours after the fatal shooting, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in Southern California took to X and said, “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!” Other members of the Trump administration argued that peaceful protesters don’t show up with guns…

“This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong,” the NRA said on X. “Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

Gun Owners for America said in a statement that its leaders “condemn the untoward comments” by Essayli.

“Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm,” the group said. “The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting ‒ a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”

The director of local gun-rights group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners had a similar reaction:

Pretti’s killing and the response from the Trump administration has prompted renewed calls for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to either resign or be impeached, including from Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet:

Public opinion turned solidly against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown months ago as it became increasingly obvious that the government was going after people with no criminal records and even valid pending asylum claims–making a liar out of Republicans like Colorado’s Rep. Gabe Evans who promised the administration would target “gangsters not grandmas.” The violent crackdown in Minneapolis by federal agents, who appear to be confronting protesters as much or more as they’re going after undocumented immigrants, has made this supposed deportation operation look more like a deliberate provocation to incite further violence between law enforcement and the protesters–in order to provide a pretext for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy military forces to American streets.

Why? Because someone has convinced Trump that this madness is good for him politically. This is a moment without precedent in American history.

While the potential for further deterioration of this historically frightening situation is very real at the time of this writing, it is also possible that the administration is surpassing the boundaries of national tolerance with these unrepentant killings of American citizens, and that a pullback from the brink will be the result. That must come with accountability for members of the administration who set the stage for and then made excuses for these acts of violence against fellow Americans.

At this point, history will demand nothing less.