Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk through a cloud of their own tear gas at the scene where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP) Federal immigration officers have shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, prompting renewed protests and deepening tensions between local authorities and the White House.
The man, identified as Alex Pretti, was a 37-year-old nurse and US citizen. He is the second person this month to be shot dead by a federal agent in the city. The killing has sparked street protests, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds.
How the shooting happened
The US Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol officer shot Pretti at around 9:05am local time on January 24 during what it described as a “targeted operation”.
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, officers were searching for “an illegal alien wanted for violent assault” when Pretti approached them carrying a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” she said. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”
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Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino later said the agent had fired “defensive shots”. Medics treated Pretti at the scene, but he was pronounced dead.
Video footage verified by media outlets shows officers surrounding and restraining Pretti on a street in Minneapolis. Gunshots are heard moments later. Federal authorities have released a photo of a handgun they say belonged to him.
Who Alex Pretti was
Officials said Pretti was a Minneapolis resident and a registered nurse. Police described him as a lawful gun owner whose only known contact with law enforcement involved parking violations.
His death comes weeks after Renee Nicole Good, another US citizen, was fatally shot by an immigration agent in the city, further fuelling public anger over federal immigration operations.
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Tensions in Minneapolis have been high since the Trump administration deployed around 2,000 federal agents to the area earlier this month as part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Political response and protests
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the state must lead the investigation, posting online that Minnesota “must lead the investigation” into the shooting.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticised federal immigration operations, saying they were “not creating safety in our city”. He urged US President Donald Trump to withdraw federal agents from Minneapolis.
Trump accused Walz and Frey of undermining law enforcement and “inciting insurrection”. Posting on social media, he questioned why local police were not protecting federal agents.
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“The mayor and the governor are inciting insurrection,” Trump wrote, calling on immigration officers to “do their job”.
Protests have continued near the shooting site, with images showing demonstrators confronting law enforcement officers in snowy streets. Investigations into the shooting are ongoing.
