ICN Statement on the Death of American ICU Nurse Alex Pretti

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is deeply saddened by the death of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse in Minneapolis, United States. Nurses around the world are expressing grief, solidarity, and profound concern as details of this tragic incident continue to emerge.

Nurses are trusted health professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for others and strengthening the wellbeing of their communities. Like all citizens, nurses have the right to peaceful civic engagement and to be treated with dignity and respect. The killing of a nurse during a law-enforcement operation is profoundly troubling, and ICN urges that the circumstances surrounding Mr Pretti’s death be subject to full transparency and an independent investigation.

ICN President Dr José Luis Cobos Serrano said the loss has resonated deeply across the global nursing community:

“Nurses across the world are mourning the loss of a colleague and are deeply troubled by the circumstances surrounding the death of Alex Pretti. What has been reported so far describes a nurse known as a kind and caring professional, whose actions appeared to reflect the compassion and commitment that define nursing everywhere.

‘This tragedy is being felt far beyond the United States. ICN has been in close contact with the American Nurses Association since the news broke, and we are hearing expressions of grief and concern from nurses globally who are struggling to understand how a health professional could lose his life in this way.

‘Without prejudging the facts, ICN believes it is essential that there is a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the circumstances of Alex Pretti’s death. Nurses must be able to live and act in their communities without fear, and public confidence depends on accountability, due process, and respect for human life.

‘Through ICN’s #NursesforPeace initiative, ICN reaffirms our commitment to standing with nurses wherever their safety, dignity, or ability to serve is threatened. Our thoughts are with Alex Pretti’s family, his colleagues, the American Nurses Association and all nurses affected by this tragic loss.”

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton added:

“Respect for human rights is intrinsic to the ethics that underpin nurses’ everyday practice, outlined in ICN’s Code of Ethics. Nurses act as advocates, defenders, and deliverers of rights, particularly for people in vulnerable situations, and this commitment is central to the trust society places in the profession.

‘From what is known so far, in the moments immediately before his tragic death, Alex Pretti appears to have been acting in accordance with these values — moving towards someone in need, guided by care and compassion. Nurses embody, through their actions, what it means to act with humanity.

‘Like all people, nurses have fundamental rights, and when those rights are not respected or are violated, the consequences can be dangerous not only for nurses, but for communities and society as a whole. When human rights and ethical principles are undermined, it risks eroding trust, social cohesion and the rule of law. That is why accountability, transparency and respect for human life are essential for all.”