Kaitlyn Bristowe Says She Feels 'Guilty' Amid Fatal Minnesota Shooting

Kaitlyn Bristowe is adding her voice to the growing wave of public figures reacting to the fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti, and she’s doing so with raw honesty, frustration, and reflection. The "Bachelorette" alum shared a lengthy, emotional message on Instagram as outrage continues to mount following the weekend shooting, in which reports state that two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weapons during a confrontation that left Pretti dead. A government report sent to Congress states that the agents fired their weapons, but does not mention Pretti reaching for his firearm. Now, as many Americans, including celebrities, try to wrap their heads around what is happening in this country, Kaitlyn Bristowe admitted she’s been wrestling with guilt, not just over the shooting itself, but over how and when she chose to speak out.

Bristowe began her lengthy Instagram post with, “I thought 2026 would be different. D-mn."

The former reality television star went on to admit, "Sitting here in this ice storm feeling guilty about being upset over Nashville. I have been writing for like a full day trying to be honest and say what I’m feeling. So here it is," before emphasizing the human cost behind headlines and viral moments. “Real freaking people. Real families!!! . Lives that don’t come back after the cameras leave and the headlines move on. I always think of that. We are so obsessed with headlines and then we are obsessed with forgetting them.”

Bristowe was also candid about why she didn’t immediately post about the shooting, pushing back against what she sees as performative grief on social media. “I want to be honest about something, too. I KNOW I didn’t rush to post about this. Not because it didn’t matter, obviously, it absolutely does. I seriously didn’t even see it on my feed, and I never want to jump on tragedy just to look like I’m saying the right thing. Loss is NOT content. It frankly pisses me off when I see people do that. And timing shouldn’t be about algorithms.”

The "Bachelorette" alum added that she initially learned more about the situation only after being confronted directly. “I don’t know if anyone else felt this, but for me, it took someone dming me telling me I’m on the wrong side of history to even Google what was happening.”

After reading more about what happened, Bristowe said the weight of the situation hit her hard, and that the public response has only deepened her sadness. “Now that I’ve read and understood what happened, I just feel f-cking sad. Sick. For the people who were taken. For families whose lives are forever destroyed. For people somehow finding sides to take even in this when IT ISNT ABOUT SIDES. A community is hurting in ways that won’t disappear when the news cycle moves on.”

She went on to stress that compassion shouldn’t be treated like a competition. “You can care about what’s happening globally AND let your heart break over what’s happening here," Bristowe added. "Compassion isn’t a competition. Grief isn’t something you compare. I know everyone in the world is scared, and we wanna take out our fear with anger towards others.”

In the same post, Bristowe revealed she has upcoming travel plans that now feel heavier in light of the tragedy. “I actually have a flight to Minnesota tomorrow, and I’m going to hold the city tight with love and light. (I’m hoping it takes off).”

She closed with a plea for empathy, both toward others and ourselves. “Can we please be gentle with each other???" she asked. "And with ourselves too?? I know people will have love and hate with this post. But isn’t that just our world. D-mn.”

As the investigation continues, conflicting accounts from federal officials remain under scrutiny. Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller has said the department’s initial statement, which claimed Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," relied on information provided by Customs and Border Protection agents who were reportedly at the scene.

That explanation has done little to ease public concern, as questions persist about how early narratives were formed and whether they align with emerging evidence surrounding the fatal encounter.