How an anti-ICE protester came to be shot dead by federal agents – the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis in weeks
Federal immigration officers shot and killed a 37-year-old man in the frozen streets of Minneapolis, drawing more protests and fierce outrage from a city shaken by Donald Trump’s weeks-long surge of agents.
Video footage from Saturday morning’s scene appears to show several officers tackling a man who was filming officers in the street with other demonstrators. As agents wrestled with the man, at least 10 shots were fired within five seconds.
The man was identified by his family as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen and an intensive care unit nurse.
The latest fatal shooting in Minneapolis, roughly two weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good, also follows widespread demonstrations and fierce resistance against what city officials are calling a federal “occupation.”
Minnesota officials have repeatedly urged the president to withdraw federal officers from the state, with Governor Tim Walz stressing that state and local law enforcement are doing everything they can to de-escalate while Homeland Security agents cause “chaos and violence.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff and the mastermind behind Trump’s immigration strategy, said Pretti was a “would-be assassin” who “tried to murder federal law enforcement,” but did not provide any evidence to back up the claim.
The surge is Homeland Security’s largest immigration enforcement operation yet, with officers facing allegations of unlawfully targeting immigrants and citizens alike and facing off against protesters in violent clashes.
Minnesota officials have also sued the administration to stop the surge, alleging the operation is a politically motivated and unconstitutional attack on the state.
The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has launched a criminal investigation into Governor Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democratic officials in the state, which the Trump administration has accused of obstructing operations. Officials there have roundly rejected the allegations and defended their response to what the mayor has called “chaos and danger” brought on by the Trump administration.
Video footage from several bystanders at the scene shows a man whose parents said was Alex Pretti filming officers with his phone on Saturday morning with other protesters and observers.
On Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis, protesters were heard blowing whistles and shouting at agents.
In one video, Pretti can be seen in the middle of the street waving for cars to pass. An officer is seen shoving a person wearing a brown jacket, green skirt and black tights and carrying a water bottle. That person reaches out for a man believed to be Pretti and the two embrace.
That same officer then shoves him in his chest and the pair both fall back.
At least seven more officers surround him. One is on Pretti’s back and another appears to strike a blow to his chest while holding a canister. Several officers try to bring his arms behind him. The officer holding the canister then strikes the man near his head several times.
