A federal immigration officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who had protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, during an enforcement operation Saturday in Minneapolis, drawing hundreds of protesters onto the streets in sub-zero weather.
The shooting marked the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis in three weeks and occurred amid escalating tensions over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and disputes over federal jurisdiction in the city.
The shooting occurred just over a mile from where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, sparking widespread protests and intensifying conflict between federal authorities and Minnesota officials.
Competing Accounts of What Happened
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers were conducting an operation and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
Bystander videos emerged shortly after the shooting showing Pretti with a phone in his hand, though none of the videos appeared to show a visible weapon.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police believed Pretti was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry” but said information about what led up to the shooting was limited. O’Hara appealed for calm, calling on federal agencies to operate “with the same discipline, humanity and integrity that effective law enforcement in this country demands.”
Pretti’s family released a statement Saturday evening describing him as a kindhearted person who wanted to make a difference through his nursing work. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family said. “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.”
A video of the shooting obtained by the Associated Press showed federal officers shoving protesters before surrounding Pretti. Officers were seen striking him and attempting to restrain him. A shot rang out with officers still surrounding him, then additional shots were heard. Pretti lay motionless on the street afterward.
Federal Response and Investigation Disputes
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti had shown up to “impede a law enforcement operation” but did not offer details about whether Pretti drew the weapon or brandished it at officers. The officer who fired the shots is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.
Gregory Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol said the officer had extensive training as a range safety officer and in using less-lethal force. “This is only the latest attack on law enforcement,” Bovino said. “Across the country, the men and women of DHS have been attacked, shot at.”
The Minnesota National Guard was deployed to assist local police at the direction of Governor Tim Walz. Guard troops were sent to both the shooting site and to a federal building where federal officials and protesters have squared off daily.
Governor Walz said he had no confidence in federal officials and that the state would lead the investigation. However, Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said federal officers blocked his agency from accessing the shooting scene even after it obtained a signed judicial warrant.
Protests and Political Reaction
Hundreds of protesters converged at the scene despite dangerously cold weather, with temperatures at minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit. After the shooting, crowds screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. Protesters dragged garbage dumpsters to block streets and chanted “ICE out now” and “Observing ICE is not a crime.”
As darkness fell, hundreds of people gathered quietly by a growing memorial at the shooting site, carrying signs saying “Justice for Alex Pretti” and chanting Pretti’s and Good’s names. Local businesses nearby stayed open, offering protesters warm shelter and water, coffee and snacks.
President Trump weighed in on social media, saying Pretti had shown up to “impede a law enforcement operation” and questioning why he was armed. Trump also said Democratic Governor Tim Walz and the Minneapolis mayor were “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.” He questioned why local police had not protected federal officers and shared images of a gun immigration officials said was recovered at the scene.
Congressional Action
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not vote for a spending package that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, increasing the possibility of a government shutdown on January 30 when federal funding runs out.