Over $1 million has been raised through an online fundraiser for the loved ones of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
The funds, which totaled over $1,009,769 as of Monday, Jan. 26, are intended to support the “immediate and ongoing needs” of the family Pretti leaves behind, according to the fundraiser’s description. Organizer Keith Edwards said Pretti’s father has been added as the beneficiary, so their family now has direct access to the money raised.
“Thank you to everyone who has been so generous either donating or sharing the fundraiser — you are what America can look like at our best,” Edwards wrote. USA TODAY has reached out to GoFundMe and Edwards to determine whether the fundraiser has been verified.
Pretti, a U.S. citizen and registered nurse who treated veterans, was shot and killed by a federal agent after confronting immigration authorities in the Midwestern city. Federal officials alleged Pretti was carrying a gun he intended to use to “kill law enforcement.” Videos from bystanders − and a witness account in court filings − do not show Pretti brandishing a weapon when he approached agents.
The fatal shooting comes just weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. The incident immediately sparked protests across the country, and the backlash swelled after the deadly Jan. 24 shooting.
Federal agents from multiple law enforcement agencies arrived in Minneapolis in early January to ramp up the Trump administration’s immigration and deportation efforts in the city. The influx of agents into Minnesota comes after federal authorities were sent to other major cities, including Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago. Both Portland and Chicago have also seen instances of shootings at the hands of ICE, including the death of immigrant Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez.
In a statement shared by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Pretti’s family described him as a “good man” and a “kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.”
(This story has been updated with new information.)
USA TODAY’s Michael Loria, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, and Kathryn Palmer contributed to this report.
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.
