In the days after federal immigration agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January 2026, online users shared a video allegedly showing Pretti honoring a veteran who had just died at a hospital by reading his final salute.
The video (archived) shows a man resembling Pretti reading a statement in honor of a man who was a patient in a hospital's intensive care unit. He then places the plaque he is reading from on a hospital gurney before wheeling it away. The man says:
Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour, we grant them our honor and our gratitude.
The above video authentically shows Pretti reading a final salute in honor of former Air Force Sgt. Terrance Lee Randolph, who died in December 2024. Mac Randolph, the veteran's son, posted a longer version of the footage on Facebook that includes Pretti reading his father's name and dates of birth and death. Snopes reached out to Randolph to obtain the original footage in order to independently corroborate the claim and will update this post accordingly.
However, given that Randolph confirmed to multiple media outlets and on social media that he recorded the footage and reputable media outlets such as The Associated Press verified it, we rate this claim as true.
Randolph uploaded the video (archived) to Facebook on Jan. 24, 2026, the day federal agents fatally shot Pretti. The caption states:
RIP Alex Pretti, he was my Dads ICU nurse, he read my dad's final salut at the VA after he passed away. Never wanted to share this video but his speech is very on point. Also my Fathers final words to me was continue to fight the good fight. He would be honored in Alex' sacrifice, and ashamed of this current administration. In my Dads words I encourage you all to continue to "fight the good fight"
The appearance of the nurse in the video matches available photographs of Pretti, and a sign hanging from the ceiling shows it was taken in an ICU unit. As we have reported previously, Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The union representing VA nurses, the American Federation of Government Employees, released a statement about Pretti after his death:
Today, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an AFGE Local 3669 member and a nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center who dedicated his life to serving American veterans, was killed during protests in Minneapolis connected to the administration's immigration actions. Our union is heartbroken. An AFGE member is dead. And a family's life has been forever changed.
While details of the incident are still emerging, one fact is already clear: this tragedy did not happen in a vacuum. It is the direct result of an administration that has chosen reckless policy, inflammatory rhetoric, and manufactured crisis over responsible leadership and de-escalation.
Randolph also spoke to Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO and CNN about Pretti and his father. He told WCCO his father had lung cancer: "He didn't want to continue the route of treatment; he wanted to do hospice. This is when Alex really became someone my family really leaned on and answered a lot of questions during a really difficult time."
He added that Pretti brought a "sense of calm" to the family. Randolph said he posted the video as a split-second decision: "I couldn't remain silent, I had to help in any way I could. I am lucky enough to have a little piece of evidence to shine a light on him and I hope people see it."
Randolph told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Pretti had been killed exactly one year after his father's memorial service. He said he posted the video to "get ahead" of the narrative where Pretti was labeled as a "domestic terrorist" by the Trump administration:
Snopes has covered numerous rumors about Pretti, including AI-manipulated photographs of him, as well as false claims that he'd been fired from his nursing job over allegations of misconduct.