1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate action to stop the federal crackdown in Minnesota that has now claimed two lives this month. On Saturday, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse working in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, was killed by federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis. Alex Pretti dedicated his career to serving veterans and advancing medical research. He obtained his nursing license in 2021 after attending the University of Minnesota, where he worked as a junior scientist beginning in 2012. He assisted on research including a study on preventing C. difficile bacterial infections. Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, chief of infectious diseases at the VA hospital, described him as "a super nice, super helpful guy" who "looked after his patients." Dr. Aasma Shaukat, who hired Pretti at the Minneapolis VA about a decade ago, called him the "sweetest, kindest, gentlest soul you ever met" who "always stood for people and human rights." Videos show Pretti directing traffic and filming federal agents with his phone in his right hand and his left hand empty. He appears to come to the defense of a legal observer who was shoved to the ground by a federal officer. That officer repeatedly sprayed Pretti with a chemical agent before tackling him. As at least five agents surrounded him on the ground, one appears to fire a shot at close range, followed by a volley of more shots. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed Pretti's only known previous interaction with law enforcement was for traffic tickets. This is the second fatal shooting this month in Minneapolis. A registered nurse with no criminal history was killed while exercising his constitutional rights. The Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses stated: "When one nurse is lost, all of us feel it." I urge you to take immediate action to halt this federal operation and demand a full investigation into these killings. Our community cannot sustain this violence.