MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, officials said, igniting protests and a political showdown as bystander video reviewed by Reuters appeared to contradict the government’s account.
The Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man with a handgun resisted efforts to disarm him. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man, identified by authorities and relatives as Alex Pretti, “wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence,” adding he attacked agents during the raid. She did not say whether he drew a weapon.
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Videos from the scene, verified by Reuters, show Pretti holding a phone — not a gun — as he moves toward other protesters who had been pushed to the ground by agents. Several agents then wrestle Pretti to the street and appear to strike him before one draws a firearm and multiple shots are fired. Pretti’s body is seen lying on the pavement moments later.
Pretti, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record beyond traffic violations, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
The shooting, the second fatal incident involving federal immigration agents in the city this month, drew hundreds of demonstrators who confronted armed, masked agents. Officers deployed tear gas and flash-bang grenades as arrests were made and crowds lingered deep into the night, authorities and witnesses said.
Gov. Tim Walz condemned the episode and pledged a state-led probe. “I’ve seen the video from several angles and it’s sickening,” Walz said. “The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation — the state will handle it.”
But state officials said federal agents impeded their efforts. Drew Evans, head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said agents blocked his team’s attempt to begin an investigation. Minneapolis officials said National Guard members would support city police at the scene at the governor’s request as authorities sought to stabilize the area. The Minneapolis Institute of Art closed for the day due to safety concerns, and the NBA postponed a Minnesota Timberwolves game.
Mayor Jacob Frey and other city and state leaders called for an immediate halt to the Trump administration’s local immigration enforcement operations. “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” Frey said at a news conference.
President Donald Trump fired back, accusing local leaders 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, said local officials were refusing to provide police support to federal agents — a claim Walz rejected, arguing the crackdown has already strained local law enforcement.
The fatal shooting of Pretti follows the Jan. 7 killing of another 37-year-old U.S. citizen, Renee Good, by an immigration agent who officials say acted in self-defense. Federal authorities have refused to allow local officials to participate in that investigation, further deepening the rift.
Public anger had been building for days over the federal operation. More than 10,000 people braved freezing temperatures to march against the immigration crackdown a day before Pretti was killed, organizers said. Residents cited multiple incidents that fueled outrage, including the detention of a U.S. citizen who was taken from his home in his shorts and the detainment of schoolchildren, among them a 5-year-old boy.
As protests swelled Thursday, city police and state troopers moved in to manage the crowds, urging residents not to damage property. “Please do not destroy our city,” O’Hara said.
It was not immediately clear when a formal investigation into Pretti’s death would begin or which agency would lead it. State leaders vowed to keep pressing for access and accountability. Federal officials stood by their agents’ actions while insisting the broader enforcement push would continue.
By night’s end, tear gas hung over a stretch of south Minneapolis that has become a national flashpoint in a widening clash over immigration enforcement — and the use of force — in American cities. What happens next may hinge on whether state investigators can gain the access they say they were denied, and whether the dueling accounts of Pretti’s final moments can be reconciled by evidence now under intense public scrutiny.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
