SALT LAKE CITY — A huge turnout Thursday night at the Utah State Capitol, organized by the Utah Nurses Association.
They were conducting a vigil to honor fellow nurse Alex Pretti.
He was the VA emergency room nurse who was shot and killed by ICE agents last weekend during protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dozens of Utah nurses, their family members, friends and some strangers attended the vigil, which included a nurse’s honor guard.
There was a statement from Alex’s parents, a poem then a violin solo.
The vigil came about after an email went out to Utah nurses on Monday, following last weekend’s shooting death of Alex Pretti.
Nurse Luisa Echeverria believes it’s the right thing to do.
“It just felt natural to us to honor his service as a nurse and all of the patients that he cared for, particularly the veterans.”
Brittania Doxstader is President of the Utah Nurses Association.
“This is quite impressive for us, we weren’t doing it for the numbers, we were doing it to have an opportunity for people who needed to grieve and support to have that place and people really migrated to that vision that we had and keep it at the heart of supporting him," said Doxstader.
Lee Moss is a Nurse Practitioner who’s dedicated his life to the field.
“And the nursing profession has come together and kind of circled the wagons to support the honor and the life of the work of Alex Pretti," said Moss.
Misse Betts has been a nurse for nearly three decades.
“I think everyone wants to feel like there’s a sense of community and support and this is a great way to do it without involving all the ugliness you see on TV," said Betts.
When it was over, there was a pile of several hundred white roses.
Symbols to honor the life of a fallen nurse.
