Netizens and social media users called out Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minn., for a letter it sent to families regarding the fatal U.S. Border Patrol-involved shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Hopkins High School principals Lisa Thao, Lorenzo Farley, and Gene Ward, as well as academic dean Mitchell Schank, sent families a lengthy email Saturday evening, only hours after Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed during an altercation with law enforcement. Homeland Security officials claim that Pretti was armed with a 9mm pistol and “violently resisted” being disarmed.
Minnesota officials have disputed that claim, and videos show Pretti with a phone in his hand. However, none of the videos circulating on social media as of Sunday morning showed Pretti with a visible weapon.
The Libs of TikTok account on X obtained the email and shared it on the platform. In addition to quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and expressing “care and solidarity” with the community, Hopkins High School staff announced that counselors, social workers, and “trusted adults” would be available to families for communication.
SCOOP: @HopkinsHigh270 principals sent out an email to families crying with “heavy hearts” because an armed violent rioter was shot while trying to interfere with and harm federal agents.
They then offer counseling to students to deal with ICE’s “hateful” actions.
These are the… pic.twitter.com/uTMVjm12B0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 25, 2026
“There is no right or wrong way to feel in moments like this,” the school wrote. “You may feel sad, angry, confused, or unsure what to say — or you may feel many of these things at once. All of those feelings are valid. You do not have to go through this alone.”
“These are the people in charge of your kids’ education,” Libs of TikTok countered.
Social media users expressed frustration and incredulity with Hopkins High School, accusing school officials of manipulating the Pretti situation and deliberately sharing misinformation. Law enforcement officials reported that Pretti was shot during an operation targeting Jose Huerta-Chuma, an illegal immigrant with a criminal history that includes domestic assault for intentional infliction of bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.
“Who else thinks these email(s) was/were prepared beforehand?” one X user questioned. “Escalate till you achieve your desired outcome! Be completely prepared for when it happens!”
“Schools used to just teach kids…well, I might add,” read one comment. “Seriously. I’m not kidding. They really did.”
Minnesota is a hotbed of radicalism. With Walz and Frey stoking the flames. https://t.co/olpCO8SxI5
— 🇺🇸 Robert Spudis 🇺🇸 (@SpudisRobert) January 25, 2026
Pretti is the second Minneapolis resident to die in a law enforcement-involved shooting in the past month. Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Jan. 7 after putting her vehicle into drive with one ICE agent’s arm inside her car and another agent standing directly in front of her. DHS has argued that Good intended to commit an act of domestic terrorism, and federal officials were reportedly investigating her partner to determine whether she may have impeded or interfered with officers.
Other X users suggested that the school was encouraging counseling to potentially sway students toward a certain political belief. A Minnesota high school teacher went viral earlier this month after engaging in a heated argument with a student over the death of Good. The teacher yelled at the student and questioned his intelligence at one point.
“The school has no business sending home anything about that,” read one X post. “Unbelievable how far public education has fallen.”
It has been a difficult week for the Hopkins community. ICE agents detained a family from Ecuador, including two minors, this past Thursday. Although a federal judge ordered the government not to move the family out of Minnesota, it remained unclear at publication whether the family was still in the state or had been relocated.
