MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, Saturday morning in south Minneapolis, marking the third shooting involving federal officers in the city in less than three weeks.
The shooting occurred around 9 a.m. near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in the Whittier neighborhood. Video footage and witness statements from the scene sharply contradict the federal government’s account of what transpired.
Conflicting narratives emerge
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and two magazines, and that agents fired defensive shots after he violently resisted attempts to disarm him. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated agents were conducting a targeted operation against an undocumented immigrant wanted for violent assault.
However, multiple videos verified by news organizations show a different sequence of events. The footage shows Pretti holding a cellphone in his right hand with his left hand raised when agents confronted him. Video shows several agents wrestling Pretti to the ground before multiple gunshots are heard. One video shows an agent reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and emerging with a gun, turning away from Pretti when shots are fired.
A witness who spoke to Minnesota Public Radio described the moments before the shooting: “The gentleman I was standing next to was focused on helping people who were coming into Nicollet Avenue understand that they needed to take it slow and helping them get through. The ICE agents approached us, told us to back up, back up. I’m not even sure why we were helping them, if anything. And I got on the snow bank, and next thing I knew, they shot him.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed Pretti was a U.S. citizen and Minneapolis resident with no criminal history beyond traffic tickets. State officials said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry.
Family condemns federal account
Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, released a statement condemning what they called “sickening lies” from the Trump administration.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the statement read. “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world.”
The family disputed the federal characterization of their son, stating: “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.”
State investigators denied access to scene
In an unprecedented move, federal agents denied Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators access to the crime scene, even after they obtained a judicial search warrant.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the BCA, said at a news conference that in his over 20 years of experience, he had never had a federal agency deny local investigators access to a crime scene. “We had a signed warrant and we were still denied access,” Evans said.
Chief O’Hara stated that DHS officials blocked Minneapolis police from entering the scene to preserve evidence and ensure public safety. “They killed a man, created chaos, and then we’re left to clean up,” he said.
State and local officials demand federal withdrawal
Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and “sickening,” demanding President Trump end Operation Metro Surge and remove the approximately 3,000 federal agents from Minnesota.
“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” Walz wrote on social media after speaking with the White House. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
At a news conference, Walz called federal claims about the shooting “nonsense” and “lies.” “What I see with my eyes and what you’re going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe,” he said, referring to video evidence.
Walz emphasized that Pretti was a lawful firearm owner with a concealed carry permit. “Something that I’ve been lectured to by Republicans for decades,” he added.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a lengthy statement addressing the president directly: “How many more Minnesotans must die before this ends? How many more lives must be lost before this administration recognizes that preserving a political narrative is not more important than protecting the vitality of one of America’s great cities?”
Frey announced the city is filing a declaration seeking a temporary restraining order against federal operations and has requested assistance from the Minnesota National Guard, which was mobilized by Walz.
U.S. Senators condemn federal operations
Both of Minnesota’s U.S. Senators issued strong statements demanding ICE leave the state.
Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote on social media: “Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota.”
Senator Tina Smith called the shooting “catastrophic” and stated: “Eyewitness video shows once again reckless, violent and dangerous federal agents taking the life of a Minnesotan. All Americans should be outraged at this unaccountable, violent federal force, which is operating with impunity in our city. If it can happen here, it can happen in your community.”
Smith also criticized the Trump administration’s characterization of Pretti as a domestic terrorist, emphasizing he was a U.S. citizen, Minneapolis resident and VA nurse.
In a joint statement, Democratic members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation — including Klobuchar, Smith, Representatives Angie Craig, Betty McCollum, Ilhan Omar and Kelly Morrison — stated: “Federal agents including ICE and Border Patrol who are roaming Minnesota’s streets must leave our state immediately. The presence of masked, militarized federal agents is not making our communities safer — it is making them less safe.”
City council members respond
All Minneapolis City Council members representing affected areas issued statements condemning the shooting and calling for ICE to leave Minnesota.
Council Member Aisha Chughtai, who represents Whittier, stated: “Around 9 a.m. this morning, federal agents executed one of our neighbors, Alex Pretti, at 26th and Nicollet in Whittier, in the community I represent. This is the second neighbor murdered in South Minneapolis by ICE in less than three weeks.”
Council Member Jamison Whiting launched a GoFundMe to support rental assistance for impacted residents and called the situation “a militarized occupation by an out-of-control Federal agency determined to make an example of our City.”
Council Vice President Jamal Osman invoked constitutional standards governing use of force, stating: “When a life is taken in our community, Minnesota has both the authority and the obligation to act. This demands an independent, state-led investigation, real transparency, and accountability wherever the facts and the law lead.”
Federal response and protests
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement,” claims made before any investigation was completed.
President Trump posted on social media defending the operation and questioning why local police were not protecting ICE officers, claiming Mayor Frey and Governor Walz “called them off.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem portrayed Pretti as intent on violence, stating: “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” When asked if Pretti ever pointed his weapon at agents, Noem did not directly answer.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the scene throughout the day. Federal agents deployed tear gas, stun grenades and pepper spray against demonstrators. At least two protesters were arrested.
The shooting occurred one day after an estimated 15,000 to 50,000 people participated in a peaceful march through downtown Minneapolis demanding ICE leave the state. Mayor Frey noted that during Friday’s demonstration, “not one person was hurt. Not one window was broken. Not one life was lost.”
Third shooting in three weeks
The shooting marks the third shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month. On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good after firing into her vehicle. On January 14, federal agents shot a Venezuelan man in the leg; he survived.
According to Pretti’s father, his son had participated in protests following Good’s death. “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE,” Michael Pretti told the Associated Press. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”
Schools across the Twin Cities have closed or shifted to remote learning amid the ongoing federal operations. Businesses have shuttered and economic activity has slowed as residents express fear about encounters with federal agents.
The American Nurses Association issued a statement expressing concern for nurses’ safety: “Nurses are advocates for the safety and well-being of their communities. They enter this profession to heal, to protect human life, and to show up for people in their most vulnerable moments.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced his office will attempt to oust ICE and Border Patrol from the state, calling their presence “an illegal and unconstitutional occupation.”
Candlelight vigils were organized across Minneapolis neighborhoods Saturday evening to honor Pretti’s memory. A citywide vigil was held at Whittier Park at 5 p.m., with additional neighborhood gatherings throughout the city.
The Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office has launched a website where anyone with evidence from Saturday’s shooting, including video, can submit it to local investigators.
Governor Walz stated that Minnesota’s justice system “will have the last word on this,” adding: “The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period.”
