Did the Minnesota V A hospital fire Alex Pretti?
Executive summary
The claim that the Minneapolis VA hospital fired Alex Pretti is false: multiple fact-checking and news outlets report he remained an active registered nurse employed in the ICU at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System at the time of his death [1] [2] [3]. Viral stories that he was terminated or had quit originate from fabricated or spam websites and have been debunked by mainstream reporting and family statements [2] [4].
1. The allegation and where it came from
Shortly after the shooting death of Alex Pretti, social media posts and a network of clickbait sites circulated a detailed-sounding report claiming he had been fired in October 2025 after an internal review and multiple complaints, quoting a fictitious “Dr. Vasquez” and naming institutions with which Pretti had no connection; those stories appear to have originated on sites such as buzzreport247 and other spam-linked outlets [2] [5] [4]. Variants of the rumor also suggested he had quit earlier or exhibited “unusual behavior,” but those versions trace back to similarly dubious domains and AI-driven spam factories rather than verifiable reporting [4].
2. What reputable reporting and fact-checkers found
Major news organizations and fact-check outlets examining the claims concluded they were fabricated: IBTimes, Hindustan Times, Times Now and regional fact-checkers all report there is no evidence Pretti was fired for misconduct and that the firing narrative is false [1] [2] [3]. Fact-check writeups documented the fake sourcing and noted that the alleged quotes and disciplinary timeline do not match available records or statements from family and colleagues [1] [5].
3. Pretti’s confirmed employment and professional standing
Contemporary reporting establishes that Pretti was a registered nurse who worked in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, that he obtained his nursing license in 2021 and held an active license through 2026, and that colleagues and supervisors described him as a dedicated ICU nurse who cared for veterans [3] [6] [7] [8]. Local coverage and testimonials from co-workers, patients and VA-affiliated medical professionals affirmed his role at the Minneapolis VA rather than employment at any of the institutions named in the fabricated reports [7] [3].
4. Why the misinformation spread and how it was countered
The false firing narrative spread rapidly because click-driven pages offered lurid specifics—internal-review dates and multiple allegations—that amplified on social platforms; investigators and journalists traced those details to fabricated bylines and spam operations, prompting debunking pieces and corrections [2] [5] [4]. At the same time, memorial coverage, statements from Pretti’s family and colleagues, and organized nursing groups emphasized his VA employment and professional reputation, which further undermined the false claims [9] [10] [7].
5. Bottom line and reporting limits
Based on the available, sourced reporting, the Minneapolis VA hospital did not fire Alex Pretti—he was employed as an ICU nurse at the VA when he was killed, and claims of termination or prior resignation trace to fabricated web reports that have been debunked [1] [2] [3] [7]. This account rests on contemporary news reporting, fact-checking, family and colleague statements and public records cited by outlets; no credible source found by those outlets supports the firing claim, and the original allegations come from demonstrably unreliable sites [5] [4]. If a reader seeks a formal administrative record from the VA, that specific HR documentation is not included in the cited reporting and would require direct confirmation from VA human resources or an official statement to be added to the public record [1] [3].