Alex pretti fired from va weeks before shooting

Checked on January 27, 2026
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Executive summary

Multiple credible news outlets and fact-checkers report that claims Alex Pretti had been fired from his job at the Minneapolis VA in the weeks before he was shot are false and trace back to a fabricated article on a fringe website; Pretti was identified by major outlets as a registered nurse working in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System at the time of his death [1][2][3]. Viral posts alleging he was dismissed for misconduct cite a fake report and lack corroboration from mainstream reporting or the VA itself [4][1].

1. The claim being circulated and its origin

Social media posts and a few outlets repeated a narrative that Pretti had been fired from his VA nursing job after internal complaints and “five incidents of inappropriate behaviour,” a story that appears to originate from a fabricated piece on the website buzzreport247 and quoted a purported Dr. Elena Vasquez tied to a non-existent account of Pretti’s employment [4][1].

2. What credible reporting and fact-checkers say

Multiple mainstream news organizations and fact-checkers concluded the firing story is false: Hindustan Times’ verification and other debunking coverage found the viral report fabricated and confirmed Pretti worked at the Minneapolis VA; The Guardian and BBC identified him as a registered ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and reported no credible evidence he had been fired in the weeks before the shooting [1][2][3][5].

3. How official and local sources characterize Pretti’s employment status

Local officials, VA colleagues and reporting described Pretti as currently employed at the Minneapolis VA and as an ICU nurse who “went to work to care for veterans,” with statements by coworkers and union leaders expressing shock and grief; mainstream coverage does not report any VA confirmation that he had been terminated prior to the shooting [3][6][5].

4. Why the false firing narrative spread and who amplified it

The fabricated BuzzReport piece supplied specific, salacious details—named sources and alleged disciplinary findings—that make it shareable; such stories are often amplified in politically charged moments, and several viral posts recycled the claim without independent verification, even as established outlets and fact-checkers warned it was false [4][1]. The rush to frame Pretti’s character in the aftermath of a highly contentious federal use-of-force incident exposed an appetite for narratives that either justify or condemn the agents’ actions, creating fertile ground for fabricated allegations to gain traction [7][8].

5. What is verified about Pretti’s life and the aftermath that matters to the record

Reporting consistently verifies that Pretti was a 37-year-old registered nurse at the Minneapolis VA, that he was shot by federal agents during a street confrontation that has generated multiple videos and conflicting accounts, and that major outlets and investigators are probing the shooting; those core facts are established while the firing claim is not supported in published, credible reporting [2][3][7][5].

6. Remaining limits and the importance of cautious sourcing

Publicly available reporting shows the firing allegation lacks credible evidence and stems from a fabricated source, but documentation (for example, a direct VA personnel record released publicly) is not cited in the reporting collected here; therefore, while mainstream outlets and fact-checkers reject the firing claim and identify its origin, the available sources do not show an official VA personnel release explicitly summarizing his employment record for external verification [1][2].

Conclusion

The weight of credible reporting rejects the claim that Alex Pretti had been fired from the VA weeks before he was killed; the allegation originated in a fabricated article and was debunked by multiple fact-checks and mainstream news organizations, which instead identify him as an ICU nurse employed at the Minneapolis VA at the time of the shooting [4][1][3]. Observers should treat social-media assertions about an individual’s employment or character with skepticism unless corroborated by verifiable records or direct statements from responsible institutions, particularly amid a polarizing, ongoing federal investigation [7][5].

Want to dive deeper?
What credible fact-checks debunked claims about Alex Pretti’s employment history?
How have fringe websites and fabricated reports influenced public narratives after high-profile police and federal-agent shootings?
What official records or statements has the Minneapolis VA released about Alex Pretti's employment status?