Minneapolis has become the epicenter of national outrage following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, by federal immigration agents during a Saturday morning confrontation. The incident, which occurred at approximately 09:05 local time near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, has ignited fierce protests and exposed a deep rift between state and federal authorities.
Multiple video recordings from the scene depict a volatile altercation between Pretti and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The footage shows Pretti filming the agents with his phone during protests against ongoing immigration raids. After an agent is seen shoving a woman to the ground, Pretti moves between them, raising an arm in a defensive gesture before being pepper-sprayed. Several agents then wrestle him to the pavement. Critical moments show an officer emerging from the scuffle holding what appears to be a firearm, immediately followed by another agent opening fire on Pretti as he lies on the ground.
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has characterized the event starkly differently. Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino described Pretti as a ‘domestic terrorist’ who approached agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, forcing an agent to fire ‘defensive shots’ in fear for his life. They claimed he intended to ‘perpetrate violence’ and ‘massacre’ law enforcement.
This official narrative has been vehemently rejected by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who denounced the federal account as ‘nonsense and lies.’ After reviewing multiple video angles, Governor Walz stated the footage was ‘sickening’ and demanded the immediate withdrawal of thousands of federal officers from the state. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara joined these calls, with O’Hara clarifying that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record beyond traffic violations.
The shooting marks the second fatal incident involving ICE agents in Minneapolis within three weeks, following the death of Renee Good during an enforcement action earlier this month. As hundreds of demonstrators braved freezing temperatures to hold vigils and chant Pretti’s name, armed and masked agents deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades against protesters, further escalating tensions. Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan, remembered their son as a ‘kind-hearted soul’ who wanted to ‘make a difference,’ expressing they were both ‘heartbroken but also very angry’ and pleading for the truth to be told.