Did Preeti quit his job as a nurse
Executive summary
The short answer: no — the available reporting shows Alex Pretti was not fired from his nursing job and was employed as an ICU registered nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System at the time of his death [1] [2] [3]. Multiple fact‑checks and news outlets characterize social‑media claims that he was terminated for misconduct as fabricated or false [2] [3].
1. The viral claim and why it matters
After the fatal shooting of a VA nurse identified in reporting as Alex Pretti, social posts circulated asserting he had been fired from his VA ICU position — a narrative that, if believed, could be used to justify or diminish public outrage over the incident [1] [3]; those posts prompted several outlets to investigate the veracity of the employment claim [1] [2].
2. What the reporting establishes about Pretti’s employment
Contemporary reporting indicates Pretti obtained his nursing license in January 2021 after completing nursing school at the University of Minnesota and subsequently worked in the intensive care unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, with earlier ties to the VA as a research assistant going back to 2014 — a timeline repeatedly cited by news outlets covering the case [1] [2] [4].
3. Fact‑checks that debunk the “fired” allegation
Independent fact‑checks and reputable outlets explicitly rejected the claim that Pretti had been fired for misconduct, concluding the story circulating online was fabricated; Hindustan Times and IBTimes UK both reported the viral firing allegation to be false and noted his continued VA employment [2] [3], while a Times Now article framed the firing narrative as a social‑media rumor that contradicted official employment records [1].
4. Institutional responses and context offered by nursing organizations
The American Nurses Association issued a public statement expressing sorrow at the death of a registered nurse identified as Alex Pretti and framed him as a serving clinician, which reinforces reporting that he was an active member of the nursing workforce rather than someone terminated earlier [5]; this institutional framing matters because professional organizations rarely comment on individuals not currently identified with the profession.
5. Why the false claim gained traction and the possible agendas
The misinformation fits a common pattern in high‑emotion incidents: parties seeking to blunt criticism of law enforcement or federal agents amplify allegations that the victim had serious misconduct or was no longer employed, while critics emphasize the victim’s service to mobilize outrage and political pressure — outlets reporting on veterans’ and political reactions show advocates using Pretti’s role as an ICU nurse to criticize agencies and officials, illustrating competing narratives at play [4] [6].
6. Limits of the public record and what remains unverified
The reporting assembled here confirms that media outlets and professional groups characterize the firing claim as false and present a consistent employment timeline, but publicly available sources in this collection do not include direct VA personnel files or a named VA spokesperson statement releasing employment status documents; therefore the conclusion rests on multiple independent news reports and professional statements rather than on a primary document released in this dataset [1] [2] [5] [3].
7. Bottom line — did Pretti quit his job as a nurse?
There is no reporting in the sources provided that Alex Pretti quit his job; instead, the verified record assembled by reputable outlets indicates he was a licensed registered nurse working in the Minneapolis VA ICU at the time of his death and that claims he had been fired or removed for misconduct are unfounded and debunked by fact‑checking reporting [1] [2] [3] [5].