Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis shooting: Alex Pretti remembered for helping others
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Through friends and neighbors, Alex Pretti’s life is coming into clearer focus.
‘Doing what little he could’
What we know:
Whether it was bringing hot dogs for a National Night Out block party or just walking his dog around the neighborhood, neighbors say Alex Pretti always wanted to help others. And they say they are heartbroken he was killed doing just that.
“It’s horrifying. Incomprehensible. What do you even do with that information? It’s almost impossible to process because how does something like that happen? How is it even possible?” said neighborhood Nathan Duin.
‘Not well, not safe, disconcerted’
The backstory:
Family members say Pretti was born in Illinois but grew up in Green Bay, Wis., and graduated from Preble High School, where he often sang in the choir and performed in musicals.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and worked as a research scientist before going back to school to become a registered nurse at the VA.
“He was a gentle person and he was kind. And he loved his dog. and he was always smiles and all that,” said neighbor Jeane Wiener.
Family members say Pretti was also an avid outdoorsman, who loved mountain biking and cared immensely about the environment.
A neighbor says one of his last conversations with Pretti was about trimming some overgrown branches on a tree near his building.
“He was just a mellow dude. He liked his cars. He liked his outdoor stuff,” said neighbor Tim Roehl.
‘I feel very sad’
What they’re saying:
Neighbors say the picture federal officials are painting of Pretti doesn’t line up with the man they knew.
But even trying to set the record straight won’t heal the hole in their hearts.
“I hope this is enough and they just move on,” said Duin.
On the eve of Stephen Colbert‘s final Late Show, the host invited Bruce Springsteen to the stage for a fitting performance of his protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis.” Earlier this year, the musician and the E Street Band live-debuted the track during their politically charged Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
In a way that felt bittersweet, Colbert announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.” As his spotlight faded and focused on the singer, Springsteen made it clear why he was there for the late-night series penultimate episode. “I’m here in support tonight of Stephen, because you’re the first guy in America who lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke,” Springsteen said. “And because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want.”
He added, “Stephen, these are small-minded people who got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you.”
The singer then launched into an emotional performance of “Streets of Minneapolis,” which was written in reaction to ICE’s brutal immigration crackdown in the city, and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Last year, CBS announced it was cancelling The Late Show, claiming the move was “purely a financial decision.” It’s been speculated that CBS’s parent company Paramount pulled the plug to curry favor with Donald Trump — who Colbert frequently called out during his show — and the FCC to ensure a merger between Paramount and Skydance would go through. As Springsteen highlighted before his performance on Wednesday night, Paramount is helmed by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle.
A procession of stars have lined up for Colbert’s closing weeks, with guests including Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and original host David Letterman, who returned to throw CBS property off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof. Recent musical guests include David Byrne, the Strokes, Michael Stipe, Chris Stapleton, and Foo Fighters, who previously served as the final musical guest of Letterman’s Late Show.
When speaking to The New York Times last month, Colbert discussed his decision to cover political topics and lean into current events, and how that often drew the ire of the Trump administration. “Comedians are anti-authoritarian by nature,” Colbert said. “And authoritarians are never going to like anybody to laugh at them. The number of newspeople who have said to me or Jon Stewart or any of the guys who do this, ‘God, I wish I could say what you say on air.’ And we can. I think that upsets them. I think it might be upsetting that we really do not live in their world of principalities and powers.”
Two women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the death of a decorated U.S. Army veteran.
Amos Ferrier, 38, was responding to an attempted auto theft in south Minneapolis on Friday. Police say Ferrier, who was an Army medic, confronted the suspects as they tried to steal his car. He was either struck by or jumped on the hood of the suspects’ getaway car.
Ferrier was badly hurt and later died after he was thrown from the hood, police say.
So far this year, the Minneapolis Police Department has seen about 2,300 motor vehicle thefts. That’s a 24% increase from this time last year.
“Post-2020, post-George Floyd, all that stuff, the auto thefts went on a huge increase,” said Bryan Hermerding, a lieutenant who supervises the auto theft task force for Hennepin County.
This year, the sheriff’s office officially teamed up with the Edina, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park police departments to crack down on car crimes
“Outside of Minneapolis, we’ve seen a significant decrease in auto thefts in some ofthose suburban cities,” he said.
Through April, the task force has recovered 228 stolen vehicles and arrested 72 people, primarily kids.
“Any time that you can multiply resources and get people working on the same page and working together towards one common goal is huge,” he said.
While Minneapolis isn’t a part of the task force, Hermerding says they do work together and there have been talks of them joining.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Star Tribune is out with its new ranking of the 50 largest public companies in Minnesota.
The list, compiled by Star Tribune business reporter Patrick Kennedy, offers a snapshot of some of the state’s biggest employers and best-known businesses.
UnitedHealth Group remained Minnesota’s largest public company, according to the list.
The 50 largest public companies in the state produced $861 billion in revenue, up 6.8 percent, according to the report. However, net profits fell 2 percent in 2025.
The ranking also showed employment declines among many of Minnesota’s biggest public companies. Overall employment among the top 50 fell by more than 43,000.
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