The younger sister of Alex Pretti issued a statement Monday memorializing her big brother’s kindness and criticizing “disgusting lies” told in the wake of his death.

Micayla Pretti called her brother a hero and thanked everyone who had reached out to the family with messages or posts she described as sharing the overwhelming positivity that reflected his character, work ethic and passions.

“All Alex ever wanted was to help someone – anyone,” she said. “Even in his very last moments on this earth, he was simply trying to do just that.”

Flowers are left at a makeshift memorial in the area where Alex Pretti was shot dead a day earlier by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026.
Flowers are left at a makeshift memorial in the area where Alex Pretti was shot dead a day earlier by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026.

Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse, and through his work at the Veterans Administration, “he touched more lives than he probably ever realized,” his sister said.

She lamented how some have portrayed her brother.

“When does this end? How many more innocent lives must be lost before we say enough?” Micayla Pretti asked. “Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching.”