Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has contributed $10,000 to an online fundraiser for the family of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents last week. Ackman is the same person who donated $10,000 to Renee Nicole Good's killer and ICE agent Jonathan Ross earlier this month.
37-year-old Pretti was a US citizen who was killed during a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers Minnesota. Video online showed him filming the officers when he was sprayed with chemicals, tackled and shot multiple times in the back. The incident sparked protests.
Ackman’s donation was made through the GoFundMe campaign titled “Alex Pretti is an American Hero,” which has raised more than $1 million. The campaign was created to support Pretti’s family with immediate expenses and ongoing needs after his death.
The billionaire's decision to give to the Pretti fundraiser followed public calls on social media for Ackman to do so. His net worth is around $9.4 billion according to Forbes.
Activist and author Shannon Watts urged him on the platform X to contribute, as Ackman had previously donated to a fundraiser for a federal agent involved in another controversial shooting.
Earlier in January, Ackman donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign supporting Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good on January 7, 2026. Good was a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by Ross in "self-defence" during a traffic stop in Minneapolis, an incident that also sparked protests.
Ackman explained that his donation to the Ross fundraiser was meant to help cover potential legal costs for the agent and was based on his belief in the legal principle that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said he also intended to support a fundraiser for Good’s family, but was unable to do so because that campaign had already closed by the time he attempted to contribute.
The GoFundMe for Ross brought backlash because the fundraiser's terms of service prohibit raising money for the legal defence of individuals accused of violent crimes. In response to the backlash, Ackman said on social media that his contributions were not meant as political statements.
Social media users said Bill is trying to do damage control after taking both sides in two fatal shootings within a month.
Bill is definitely hedging his bets.— Andy (@AndyTraenkner) January 27, 2026
Bill Ackman? He's trying to make a quick escape from his own contribution to the pro-ICE rhetoric that led to these deaths. pic.twitter.com/qIPwil2zJH— Rojan Seth Ⓥ - @trelayne.bsky.social (@trelayne) January 26, 2026
