On Saturday, 24 January 2026, federal ICE agents shot and killed another US citizen in the snowy streets of Minneapolis. And the term ‘agents’ is correct – unlike the killing of Renee Good two weeks previously, where a single agent discharged his weapon, Alex Pretti, 37, was set upon, wrestled to the ground, pepper-sprayed and shot by at least six ICE officers. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, had attempted to help up a woman who had been shoved to the pavement by the same agents; his last words, addressed to her, were “Are you OK?”
It took less than 30 seconds for the horror to unfold, from the time the woman was shoved until agents fired ten shots into Alex Pretti. In the aftermath, none of the officers administered aid or attempted CPR. They were too busy counting the bullet holes in his body.
Pretti carried a legally purchased and registered handgun on his person, and in Minnesota, an open carry state, he had every constitutional right to do so. But he never reached for it, holding just a cellphone in his right hand, with his left clearly empty. Video shows an agent reaching into Pretti’s pocket and disarming him seconds before the shooting began. Yet the mere fact of the gun’s possession caused administration flunkies to justify the shooting, claiming it showed murderous intent, certainly an odd position for Second Amendment gun rights advocates to take.
Bipartisan blowback has been greater than after the Renee Good shooting, with numerous Republican legislators joining the call for a full, impartial investigation of this even more egregious killing. US Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who has headed field operations in Minneapolis, has been reassigned to California, but no further action has been taken.
Born 9 November 1988 (no time available), Alex Pretti had one asteroid at station in his birth chart: asteroid Copland 4532, which turned retrograde at 28 Cancer, in exact square to asteroid Gunn 18243 at 28 Libra, linking police (Cop-land) and firearms (Gunn, alternate spelling of “gun”). Stationary points indicate persons, places or themes which will dominate the life and biography, suggesting here that interaction with police could be pivotal. The killing took place on Nicollet Avenue, with asteroid Nicole 1343 at 21 Libra joining the square. Ironically, Nicole was also Renee Good’s middle name, and the shooting took place roughly a mile from where she died.
Asteroid Nicoleticea 31282, another variation of Nicollet, appears at 6 Capricorn, opposed asteroid Iceland 110299 (for ICE) at 1 Cancer, in a Grand Cross with Mars at 0 Aries, ruling attacks, weaponry, and violent death, and asteroid Osiris 1923 at 3 Libra, named for the Egyptian god of the dead. Here we see the Nicollet Avenue location (Nicoleticea), the border patrol agent presence (Iceland), their violent attack (Mars), and the fatal outcome (Osiris). Natal Neptune, indicating confusion and lies or deception, as well as zealotry or fanaticism, conjoins Nicoleticea from 8 Capricorn, while transit Neptune moved to 0 Aries, exactly conjunct natal Mars, two days after his death. Neptune shows in the story as the confused free-for-all of the ICE agents’ assault on Pretti, the overblown zeal for their task, and the firehose of administration lies and deception that followed the incident.
Further warning of potential deadly peril from law enforcement comes in the form of a T-Square from Damocles 5335 at 10 Pisces opposed asteroid Polizzi 31888 at 14 Virgo, (cognate to both the German Polizei and Italian Polizia, both meaning “police”), with a conjunction of asteroids Lachesis 120 (named for the Fate who determines the span of life) and Alex 3367, at 12 and 5 Sagittarius respectively. This images a looming threat (Damocles) of death (Lachesis) for Pretti (Alex) from police (Polizzi). Alex also conjoins asteroid Anubis 1812 at 1 Sagittarius, named for the ancient Egyptian deity ruling funerary rites. Together, these oppose Jupiter at 2 Gemini, suggesting a famous or much-publicized (Jupiter) death (Anubis) for Pretti (Alex).
Alex Pretti’s 17 Scorpio Sun is conjoined by TNO Ixion 28978 at 22 Scorpio, named for the first murderer in Greek myth, Pluto, modern lord of death and ruler of criminal conduct, at 12 Scorpio, and asteroid Atropos 273, named for the Fate who severs the thread of life at death also at 12 Scorpio. The Sun lies on their precise midpoint, and symbolizes Pretti’s (Sun) eventual death (Atropos) by homicide (Ixion), possibly in a criminal act (Pluto).
Amazingly, that 17 Scorpio Sun is exactly conjoined on the day of his killing by an exact conjunction of transit asteroids Nicole and Toro 1685, with Nicole again referencing the scene of his death, and Toro alluding to brutality, overly aggressive behaviors, and toxic masculinity, qualities well on display in many, if not most, ICE interactions, and certainly in this one.
Also at his death, asteroid Alex at 25 Sagittarius exactly conjoins asteroid Nemesis 128, noted as the bringer of ruin and destruction, and is accompanied by asteroids Polizzi at 27 Sagittarius (the police) and Atropos at 18 Sag (underscoring the fatal nature of their interaction). This grouping squares transit Saturn, ancient lord of death, also ruling law enforcement, at 27 Pisces, and Neptune at 29 Pisces, with the implications described above.
“Alex” was apparently Pretti’s full given first name, not a nickname, but asteroids Alexander 296907 and Alexandra 54 both have a part to play as well. Alexander at 26 Virgo squares the Sagittarius stellium, opposing Saturn in a T-Square, while Alexandra at 18 Leo squares the Nicole/Toro pairing that conjoins Pretti’s Sun. Alexander turned retrograde on January 16th, but at 27 Virgo, so cannot be considered at station for his death. However, its recent change of direction signaled a metaphoric “turning point” in Alex Pretti’s life, and recalls the stationary status of asteroid Renate (Italian for “Renee”) when Renee Good was killed weeks earlier, a mile away, with Renate just four degrees earlier in the zodiac.
Incredibly, transit asteroid Copland is again at station, as it was at Pretti’s birth; at 5 Libra, it is conjoined asteroid Lachesis at 0 Libra, and this pair squares transit Ixion at 7 Capricorn, with asteroid Tantalus 2102 at 9 Capricorn. Tantalus is named for a mythic king noted for the commission of heinous, unforgivable crimes. And so does the Universe pronounce its judgment on the ICE Agents (Copland) who shortened Alex Pretti’s lifespan (Lachesis) with a heinous act (Tantalus) of murder (Ixion).
So much for celestial condemnation. Perhaps in due course the terrestrial equivalent will be forthcoming.
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .
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