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Seattle vigils pop up for Alex Pretti, MN man killed by DHS
On Saturday, crowds gathered at locations across Seattle to remember Alex Pretti, and protest his killing by federal Border patrol agents. The 37-year-old was an ICU nurse for a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis and was an American citizen.
SEATTLE - On Saturday, crowds gathered at locations across Seattle to remember Alex Pretti, and protest his killing by federal Border patrol agents. The 37-year-old was an ICU nurse for a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis and was an American citizen.
Seattleites previously protested the killing of another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, by ICE agents earlier this month. She was also 37 years old and an American citizen.
Outside the federal building in Downtown Seattle, people holding signs, banners, and upside-down American flags demonstrated and chanted for both Pretti and Good into the evening hours of Jan. 24. Residents also gathered for a vigil for Pretti outside Harborview Medical Center on Saturday night.
Alex Pretti vigil poster at Harborview Park at Harborview Medical Center
Protesters occupy a crosswalk in downtown Seattle near the federal building on Jan. 24 to protest the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis earlier that day. Signs also included calls to remember Renee Good, another Minneapoli …
What they're saying:
"I woke up this morning and I saw the news about what happened to Alex, and I found it revolting. I'm just very frustrated. I felt very helpless, like I couldn't do anything about what's happening to our nation. So, I've been trying to do what I can to try to make some change.
And then I saw this was happening, and I was like, well, that's where I got to be.
I just want to say, solidarity with what is happening in Minneapolis, and a huge shutout to the union organizers and educators–I'm an educator–in Minneapolis, who, yesterday, shut the whole city down to protest what was happening with ICE. I think it's remarkable and know that Seattle stands with you," said one attendee, Jay.
A mourner prays as people gather 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. On January 24, federal agents shot dead US citizen Alex P …
Elected officials in Washington released statements hours earlier reacting to the shooting of Alex Pretti. Among them, newly sworn-in Mayor Katie Wilson. In a post to social media, she said she will have more to say about specific actions the city will be taking in the coming days and weeks.
Governor Bob Ferguson, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Jayapal issued statements, as well as Sen. Murray, who said the shooting, "looks like an execution."
Protesters occupy a crosswalk in downtown Seattle near the federal building on Jan. 24 to protest the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis earlier that day.
The backstory:
More than 3,000 federal agents have been sent to Minneapolis by the Department of Homeland Security amid ongoing ICE operations and raids in Minnesota that mirror those in other cities like Chicago and Los Angeles in 2025. Gov. Walz yesterday said in a press conference this deployment outnumbers local law enforcement 3-to-1.
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Minneapolis mayor gives update after man killed by federal agents
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, along with other local city officials are giving an update after a man was shot by federal agents and died Saturday morning.
Sec. Noem response to Border Patrol agents shooting, killing Alex Pretti
In response to the shooting, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
"Today, DHS law enforcement was conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.
During the operation, an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.
This violence is directly fueled by hateful rhetoric from Minnesota’s sanctuary politicians. It must end now."
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The Source: Information in this story came from local leaders' social media pages, FOX13 original interviews, FOX9 reporters in Minneapolis, and the Department of Homeland Security.