On January 24, 2026, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen named Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in south Minneapolis, near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. The incident, occurring amid a large-scale immigration enforcement operation under the Trump administration, has ignited widespread controversy, protests, and demands for accountability.
Pretti, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse and Minneapolis resident with no prior criminal record, was identified by his parents and confirmed by local media outlets including the Minnesota Star Tribune. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), agents were conducting a targeted arrest of an undocumented individual wanted for assault when Pretti approached officers armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, resisted disarmament efforts, and posed an imminent threat, prompting defensive gunfire.
However, bystander videos that quickly circulated online and were analyzed by news organizations tell a starkly different story. Eyewitness footage appears to show federal agents wrestling Pretti to the ground during a scuffle, with some reports describing strikes and possible use of force before multiple shots were fired while he was subdued or on the ground. In one widely shared clip, agents are seen surrounding him, removing a firearm (the origin of which remains disputed), as an angry crowd reacts. Pretti had reportedly been filming the ongoing federal operations and protests in the area moments earlier.
The discrepancy fueled immediate backlash. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed Pretti died from multiple gunshot wounds and noted contradictions with the federal narrative. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shooting as "sickening," calling for an end to the federal operation and accusing agents of chaos and violence. U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, along with Mayor Jacob Frey, echoed demands for federal withdrawal from the city and an independent state-led investigation. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was requested to probe the incident, though access to the scene was reportedly obstructed by federal personnel.
Protests erupted at the scene within hours, with crowds clashing against agents, tear gas deployment, and reports of escalating tensions that prompted calls for National Guard support. The event marked the third federal-involved shooting in Minneapolis in recent weeks—following the January 7 killing of Renée Good and another non-fatal incident—intensifying local outrage over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown deploying thousands of agents to Democratic-led cities.
National reactions remained deeply divided. White House advisor Stephen Miller labeled Pretti a "domestic terrorist" without evidence, while supporters defended the agents' actions as necessary for public safety. Critics, including veterans' groups like Common Defense, decried it as excessive force and part of a broader "war on our streets."
As investigations continue, the Minneapolis shooting has amplified national debates on immigration enforcement tactics, use of force by federal officers, and the surge in tensions between local authorities and the federal government.
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