Earlier this week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 37-year-old Alex Pretti — an intensive care nurse and veteran caregiver at the VA hospital — was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent during a public confrontation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The incident occurred on January 24, 2026, as ICE officers carried out enforcement actions under the federal “Operation Metro Surge,” which has deployed thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota.
Video footage and multiple witness accounts widely circulated online show Pretti was filming the federal agents and trying to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground when officers pepper-sprayed, wrestled, and ultimately shot him multiple times. These videos appear to contradict the initial official narrative claiming that Pretti was a threat who brandished a firearm. Pretti was legally licensed to carry a concealed firearm in Minnesota, but the publicly shared footage and witness statements indicate he was not holding a gun when federal agents attacked him.
An officer reportedly removed the firearm from Pretti’s holster only after he was on the ground. Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. His family and friends strongly dispute the characterization of him as a threat, calling official claims “sickening lies” and asserting that he was trying to help a woman when he was met with lethal force. The shooting has triggered intense local and national outrage, protests, and political fallout. Minnesota’s governor and Minneapolis’s mayor have criticized ICE tactics and the federal response, with some federal agents leaving the city amid calls for independent investigations and accountability. Bipartisan concern has grown over civil liberties, the use of force, and federal immigration enforcement policies.
Why Charlie Kirk’s 2018 Tweet Is Trending
In the wake of this controversy, an older tweet from conservative commentator Charlie Kirk — originally posted on March 4, 2018 — has gone viral again. In that tweet, Kirk wrote about the Second Amendment, stating that its purpose was not merely for hunting or self-defense, but to “ensure that free people can defend themselves if god forbid government became tyrannical and turned against its citizens.” This message has been widely reshared across social platforms as users comment on the Pretti shooting and what it signifies about government authority and armed citizens. The resurfacing of Kirk’s post is not directly about the specific circumstances of Pretti’s death, but rather reflects how debates about civil liberties, armed self-defense, and government power have been reignited by the incident. Many users on social media are using the tweet to highlight perceived tension between citizens and state authority, using Pretti’s shooting as a contemporary reference point.
Public Reaction and Broader Debate
The reaction to Pretti’s death has spanned political lines, drawing condemnation from activists, celebrities, athletes, and leaders in business and tech. Several high-profile figures have publicly criticized the federal response and called for accountability. There are also calls from some advocacy groups to reassess or dismantle ICE in its current form. At the same time, some political commentators and right-wing media figures have defended the federal agents or spread misinformation about what happened, leading to fact-checking efforts and pushback from independent observers. The resurfaced tweet highlights how events like this can quickly become rallying points for broader societal debates — not just about a single incident, but about constitutional rights, government authority, and public trust in institutions.
