U.S. immigration agents fatally shoot Minneapolis man, igniting protests and political clash
MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking hours of street protests, emergency closures and a high-stakes confrontation between Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration over who controls the investigation.
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The Department of Homeland Security said an agent fired in self-defense after a man with a handgun resisted agents’ attempts to disarm him. The account could not be independently verified, and videos circulating online appeared to contradict key elements of the federal narrative.
The man killed was identified in media reports and on social media as Alex Pretti, 37, a nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record beyond traffic violations.
Clips posted to social media show an agent apparently deploying pepper spray at Pretti and others. As Pretti tries to block the spray and aid nearby protesters, several agents tackle him, striking him repeatedly. While agents hold him on the pavement, one draws a handgun and multiple shots are heard. Pretti’s body is later seen in the roadway. The videos do not show clearly whether the victim brandished a weapon. The footage and circumstances could not be independently authenticated.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man “attacked agents” during an immigration raid. She did not say whether he drew his weapon. “He wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence,” Noem said at a news conference.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sharply questioned the federal account. “I’ve seen the video from several angles and it’s sickening,” Walz said, adding that “the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation — the state will handle it.” Drew Evans, who heads the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said federal agents blocked his team’s attempts to begin an investigation on Saturday.
The shooting came amid an already fraught standoff over federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities. Local and state officials were at odds with Washington after another U.S. citizen, 37-year-old Renee Good, was shot and killed by federal immigration agents on Jan. 7. Authorities said that shooting was also in self-defense but have refused to allow local participation in the probe.
Hundreds of protesters converged on the south Minneapolis neighborhood after Saturday’s shooting, confronting masked agents who deployed tear gas and flash-bang grenades. As the crowds grew, city police and state troopers moved in to manage the scene. The situation calmed only after federal agents left, though demonstrators remained in the streets for hours.
City officials pleaded for restraint. “Please do not destroy our city,” O’Hara said. Minneapolis officials said the National Guard would support law enforcement at the request of local leaders to the governor. The Minneapolis Institute of Art closed for the day citing safety concerns, and the NBA postponed a Minnesota Timberwolves game.
Walz and other Minnesota leaders called for an immediate halt to the administration’s enforcement operation. “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
President Donald Trump accused local officials of inflaming tensions. “The Mayor and the Governor are inciting insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” he wrote on social media. Vice President JD Vance, who visited Minneapolis on Thursday, accused city and state leaders of refusing to provide police support to federal agents. Walz said the crackdown has already strained local resources.
Saturday’s killing followed a demonstration by more than 10,000 people who marched through frigid temperatures on Friday to protest the federal crackdown. Public anger had been mounting over a series of incidents, including Good’s killing, the detention of a U.S. citizen taken from his home in his shorts, and the detention of schoolchildren, including a 5-year-old boy.
Authorities have not publicly released the name of the agent who fired or detailed body-camera or operational footage from the raid. As calls grow for transparency and jurisdictional control, it remained unclear late Saturday who will lead a full investigation into the shooting, and whether federal officials will allow state investigators access to the scene and evidence.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
