Apart from the former president’s statement, the victim’s family has also spoken out about the tragedy, condemning the incident and divulging the philanthropic person Alex Pretti was.In a rare and sharply-worded public statement, former U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned the killing of Alex Pretti — a U.S. citizen shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis — and laid the blame squarely on the Trump administration’s handling of federal law enforcement.Calling the incident “a heartbreaking tragedy,” Obama warned that it should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, highlighting that core national values are increasingly “under assault.” The remarks, made on January 25, 2026, marked one of Obama’s most overt criticisms of a sitting president since leaving office.

“Administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation,” Obama said, referencing the chaos that erupted in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of both Pretti and Renee Good.He accused federal agents of deploying “unprecedented tactics” meant to intimidate and harass citizens — tactics he said have now led to avoidable deaths. For weeks, growing outrage has surged nationwide following footage of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits and other agents operating aggressively in U.S. neighborhoods.Obama echoed that sentiment, denouncing the federal agents’ conduct as “embarrassing, lawless and cruel,” even quoting a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) top lawyer who had used those exact words to criticize such practices.