US federal law enforcement officers on Saturday fatally shot an American citizen in Minneapolis, the second such killing in the city in less than three weeks, as it reels from the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement that has sparked escalating protests across the US.
The man, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, was an intensive care nurse with no criminal record and a legal permit to carry a firearm, according to the city’s police chief. Federal agents raced to portray Pretti, who was merely filming the officers on his phone during a protest against the president’s immigration crackdown in his city, as a violent “gunman” who threatened to “massacre” law enforcement, despite video evidence that directly contradicts their account.
Pretti’s parents have pleaded to “get the truth out about our son” as colleagues and those who knew him recall an outdoorsman with an easy smile who appears to have been trying to shield a woman being pepper-sprayed by an agent.
The fatal shooting comes after Renee Good, also a 37-year-old American citizen, was shot dead on 7 January by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, with video showing her trying to drive away from the confrontation, sparking outrage nationwide.
As protests once again swelled, local officials pleaded for “calm” as the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, activated the state national guard to assist local police.
A video circulating online shows Pretti being wrestled to the ground by several law enforcement officers before being shot what appears to be several times. At least two officers can be seen with their weapons drawn.
A more comprehensive video of the shooting, obtained and posted online by Minnesota Public Radio, shows that Pretti appeared to come to the defense of an observer who was shoved to the ground by a federal officer. That officer then sprays Pretti with a chemical agent, repeatedly, before tackling him to the street along with other agents.
At least five agents surround Pretti on the ground. One appears to fire a shot at him at close range, followed by a volley of more shots.
Open-source experts have begun to parse the apparent video evidence online, and at least one analyst suggested the initial video shows Pretti had a gun taken away from him before the shots were fired. The visual evidence in the second video seems consistent with the interpretation that a gun appeared to have been taken away by one agent just before another shot him.
Greg Bovino, a US border patrol commander who was reprimanded for lying by a federal judge last year, said at a news conference that an officer with eight years of experience at the agency shot and killed Pretti.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino said.
Despite clear video evidence that Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, insisted that Pretti confronted officers with a gun.
“An individual approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently,” she said, despite video evidence clearly showing an unarmed Pretti being beaten.
Noem continued: “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement.”
Earlier in the day, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the department, said the shooting occurred at about 9.05am local time “as … officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis” against a person they said was present in the country illegally and was wanted for assault. McLaughlin’s statement said “an individual approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun”, and that “officers attempted to disarm” him.
McLaughlin accused Pretti of having “resisted” and, without elaborating, said “more details on the armed struggle are forthcoming”.
She added Pretti also had “2 magazines and no ID”.
At a news briefing, Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, said Pretti lived in Minneapolis, was an American citizen, and that his only known previous interaction with law enforcement has been for traffic tickets. O’Hara also said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. Minnesota law allows citizens to obtain permits to carry handguns in public. The law does not require the concealment of those weapons.
O’Hara also said: “Our demand today is for those federal agencies operating in our city to do so with the same discipline, humanity and integrity that effective law enforcement demands.”
In a statement, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus echoed O’Hara in saying “critical facts remain unknown”. However, the group said it was “deeply concerned about the shooting death of Alex Pretti”.
Shortly after the shooting, Walz said he spoke to the White House.
Walz has called the preliminary account of the shooting offered by DHS “nonsense” and “lies” and demanded federal agents leave his state.
“Minnesota has had it,” said Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election. “This is sickening.” Walz said he spoke with the White House shortly after the shooting.
“The president must end this operation,” Walz also said, referring to the administration’s immigration enforcement operation in the state. “Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Late Saturday evening, a Minnesota judge ordered federal agencies to preserve evidence related to Pretti’s killing. The ruling came in response to Minnesota officials’ lawsuit alleging that federal officials were blocking local authorities’ investigation of Pretti’s death.
“There is every reason to believe that [DHS ] will continue to deny” access to evidence in Pretti’s death – “absent this court’s intervention”, Minnesota law enforcement agencies warned in court filings.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey spoke at a press conference and asked the current administration: “How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end? How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?”
Appealing to the president directly, Frey said: “This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America, first in this moment. Let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation. And I’m telling you, our city will come back. Safety will be restored. We’re asking for you to take action now to remove these federal agents.”
Frey later announced Minneapolis was “filing a declaration to push for an immediate ruling on our temporary restraining order”.
“We need swift action to protect our city,” Frey said in a public statement. He added he had “formally requested national guard assistance to support our 600 Minneapolis police officers” and that “community service officers are delivering food to residents afraid to leave home. The city is providing legal resources, and neighborhood resource centers are here to support families.”
In a statement shared with the media, Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said they were “heartbroken but also very angry”.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family statement continued. “Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper-sprayed.”
On Saturday, the Hennepin county sheriff’s office requested assistance from the Minnesota national guard, due to what it described as “the potential for continuing and growing conflict related to today’s federal agent-involved shooting”.
The Minnesota department of public safety’s bureau of criminal apprehension (BCA) said that the BCA force investigations unit had been requested by Minneapolis police to investigate Saturday’s federal agent-involved shooting in Minneapolis in a statement on Saturday afternoon. The BCA also said its agents and crime scene personnel had attempted to access the location but “were blocked” by DHS personnel at the scene.
Trump also reacted to the shooting, blaming and criticizing local Minnesota lawmakers. His lengthy statement included a photo of the gun and accusations that Minneapolis’s mayor and Walz were “inciting Insurrection” with their rhetoric.
“LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!” the president said.
Another deadly shooting by federal agents is likely to renew anger among Democrats over the decision this week by seven Democratic members of the US House to vote to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the immigration and border patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chair, who is from Minnesota, posted on X in response to Saturday’s shooting: “What the actual fuck is going on in this country?”
Live video of the scene after the shooting showed dozens of federal agents surrounding the scene, and a tense confrontation with hundreds of protesters who gathered in the area following the shooting as local police attempted to secure the area for crime scene investigators to move in. The agents deployed what appeared to be chemical irritants into the crowd. People yelled at agents, honked horns and recorded videos.
The deadly shootings of Good and Pretti happened more than five years after Minneapolis witnessed local police’s murder of George Floyd, which was recorded on a cellphone and ignited worldwide protests.
Ramon Antonio Vargas, Rachel Leingang, Edward Helmore and Victoria Bekiempis contributed reporting
