Federal agents wrestle with a man in south Minneapolis before shooting him
Federal agents shot and killed a man in south Minneapolis on Saturday morning, sparking a new round of outrage in a city still reeling from the shooting death of Renée Good by an ICE officer earlier this month.
A video posted to social media showed several agents wrestling the man to the ground before a gunshot rings out. Agents scattered and fired multiple shots at the man, who then lay still on the sidewalk.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told the Star Tribune that the victim, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, was dead.
In a statement posted to X, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Pretti approached US Border Patrol officers while carrying a semiautomatic handgun and two magazines, and “that officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” the statement continued.
But after DHS issued its statement, more videos were posted to social media that contradicted some of its claims. The agency has previously given unreliable accounts of violent incidents involving federal agents.
Live footage posted to social media in the aftermath of the shooting showed a large and loud crowd of protesters gathering at the site of the shooting and a beefed-up federal presence alongside what appeared to be local police trying to enforce a perimeter around the chaotic scene. Agents deployed multiple tear gas canisters before eventually leaving the scene.
According to the Star Tribune, several witnesses have been detained. ICE agents ordered Minneapolis police to leave, but O’Hara refused, telling officers to preserve the scene. But the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions told the Star Tribune that federal agents blocked them from accessing the scene of the shooting.
State and local leaders were quick to denounce the shooting. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted to social media that he spoke to the White House after the incident, and that “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
In a press conference later in the day, Walz said Minnesotans were “witnessing and we are creating a log of evidence” to prosecute federal agents in the future, adding, “They think they can provoke us into abandoning our values. Well, they are dead wrong.”
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) both posted on X, demanding that ICE leave the state.
“How many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Minneapolis Mayor Frey said in a Saturday afternoon press conference. “A great American city is being invaded by its own federal government.”
“To president Trump, this is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minnesota, put America first in this moment,” he continued.
It’s the second time in a little more than two weeks that federal agents have shot and killed someone amid President Donald Trump’s escalating crackdown in the city. ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Good on January 7 as she attempted to drive away from the site of an altercation between agents and locals—sparking mass protests and condemnation from state and local officials. Today’s shooting comes just one day after a historic general strike halted business in the city, with solidarity rallies breaking out in other major cities.
This is a developing story, and this article has been revised and updated based on new information.
