When did Alex Pretti took a leave of absence

1. What the record says about Alex Pretti’s employment status after the shooting

Available reporting profiles Alex Pretti as a 37‑year‑old intensive‑care nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis and recounts remembrances from colleagues and family, but those sources do not state that Pretti himself took a leave of absence from his VA job prior to his death; the New York Times and People reporting outline his work and the aftermath but do not report any leave of absence for Pretti ^{[2] [1]}. Fact‑check and rumor‑debunking outlets flag assorted post‑mortem claims about Pretti’s background, but none of the provided snippets document an employment leave by Pretti ^[6]. Therefore, on the specific question of when Alex Pretti "took a leave of absence," the supplied reporting contains no factual basis to assert that he did so.

2. If the intended subject is the agents: DHS says they were put on leave "since Saturday"

Multiple outlets cite Department of Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection statements that the two federal agents who fired shots were placed on administrative leave starting the Saturday of the shooting; PBS’s NewsHour said DHS officials reported the agents had been on administrative leave since Saturday, a statement echoed in other summaries of DHS remarks ^[3]. Forbes’ coverage similarly reports agents were placed on administrative leave following the fatal encounter, noting that officials characterized that administrative leave as routine while investigations proceed ^[4].

3. Conflicting or unclear official accounts about the timing

The timeline is not uncontested in the record: CBP commander Gregory Bovino was quoted as saying the agents had been transferred and were continuing to work in another city, creating an early, direct contradiction with DHS statements that they were on administrative leave ^{[4] [5]}. BBC and a local CBS affiliate explicitly note uncertainty or lack of clarity about precisely when the officers were put on leave and for how long, reflecting either evolving agency messaging or incomplete public disclosures ^{[5] [7]}.

4. Why the timing matters and what the sources may be signaling

The discrepancy between DHS’s later statement that the agents were on leave “since Saturday” and an initial CBP account that they were still working elsewhere matters because administrative leave is a common tool that signals an agency has paused an officer’s regular duties while an investigation proceeds; conflicting explanations can fuel public distrust and political fallout, which is evident in the intense national coverage and bipartisan calls for accountability captured in The New York Times and BBC reporting ^{[2] [5]}. Some outlets note that placing officers on leave is a standard protocol and not necessarily an admission of wrongdoing, a point DHS or unnamed officials have stressed in media coverage ^[4].

5. Bottom line and limits of the record

Answering the question as written: there is no evidence in the supplied reporting that Alex Pretti himself took a leave of absence from his job; the sources do not say he did ^{[2] [1]}. If the user meant the agents involved in the shooting, DHS and several outlets report the two agents were put on administrative leave beginning the Saturday of the shooting—January 24, 2026—although initial CBP comments and some outlets described the timeline as unclear or inconsistent, leaving a small but consequential gap in the publicly confirmed chronology ^{[3] [4] [5] [7]}.