Videos deepen dispute over Alex Pretti shooting as Minnesota, feds clash over Metro Surge
Surveillance and bystander videos of the Jan. ___ Minneapolis shooting show Alex Pretti — identified by family as a 37‑year‑old ICU nurse — appearing disarmed or on the ground when a U.S. Border Patrol agent fired, sharpening a stark factual dispute with federal accounts that the agent shot an armed assailant and prompting divergent conclusions from local and federal officials. The killing, the third federal‑agent shooting in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge,” has sparked protests and aggressive crowd control, demands from Minnesota prosecutors and the BCA to process the scene, and is expected to be central to civil‑rights litigation and ongoing political fallout.
📌 Key Facts
- A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis near 26th–28th Street West and Nicollet Avenue South; early federal leaks described a leg wound but later reporting said he was shot in the chest and died.
- Pretti was an ICU nurse employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a U.S. citizen and Minneapolis resident, an AFGE member and University of Minnesota graduate; family say he had only traffic violations on his record, held a valid Minnesota carry permit, and was active in protests.
- Multiple surveillance and bystander videos, as compiled by reporters, show sequences in which Pretti appears disarmed, on the ground, or not actively pointing a gun when shots are fired, creating a factual dispute with the federal account and expected to be central evidence in investigations and civil‑rights litigation.
- Federal spokespeople and the Border Patrol Union characterize the incident as a justified response to an armed threat (saying a protester brandished a loaded handgun), while Minneapolis officials, Gov. Tim Walz, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and civil‑rights groups dispute that account and call for independent review.
- The killing is at least the third time federal agents have shot someone in Minneapolis in recent weeks under Operation Metro Surge (including the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good), which has intensified criticism of the federal enforcement effort and prompted calls to curb ICE/federal operations in Minnesota.
- Protests and a memorial formed at the shooting site; reporters say federal officers deployed chemical irritants on crowds and detained at least one person, deepening local alarm and fueling lawsuits and political backlash.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is coordinating with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and publicly demanded that federal authorities allow the BCA to process the scene; Mayor Jacob Frey, Chief Brian O’Hara and city officials held briefings and Frey renewed calls for ICE to leave the state.
- Responses to the shooting have come from elected officials and public figures across the political spectrum (including Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Tim Walz, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Trump adviser Stephen Miller), while the Border Patrol Union defended agent training and actions.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuelan immigrants in the US had an incarceration rate of 241 per 100,000 in 2023, which is lower than the rate for US-born individuals.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
There have been at least 27 shootings by US immigration agents since January 20, 2025, of which 7 have resulted in deaths.
List of shootings by U.S. immigration agents in the second Trump administration — Wikipedia
The root causes of Venezuelan migration include political corruption, government repression, high homicide rates, economic crisis, and lack of access to food and health services.
A comparative study of Venezuelan immigrants' pre- and post-migration experiences — NIH
DHS policy affirms that law enforcement officers must use force only when necessary and in a manner that is reasonable, and prohibits improper uses of force.
Department Policy on the Use of Force — Homeland Security
From May to July 2020, over 7,750 demonstrations associated with the Black Lives Matter movement occurred, with around 570 involving violence, indicating risks in large-scale protests.
Demonstrations and Political Violence in America: New Data for Summer 2020 — ACLED
DHS reported a more than 1150% increase in assaults and violence against ICE law enforcement officers compared to previous periods, amid sanctuary city rhetoric.
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 25, 2026
1:18 AM
Videos show deadly Minneapolis shooting and political leaders reach different conclusions
New information:
- The article synthesizes multiple surveillance and bystander videos of the Alex Pretti shooting, emphasizing sequences where he appears disarmed, on the ground, or not actively pointing a gun when shots are fired, sharpening the factual dispute with DHS’s narrative.
- It details how different political leaders — notably Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis officials and federal spokespeople — are publicly reaching opposing conclusions from the same video evidence, with locals calling the shooting unjustified and DHS framing it as necessary force against an armed threat.
- The story underscores that these videos are expected to be central evidence in civil‑rights litigation and official investigations, and notes growing public skepticism online as residents circulate clips that appear to contradict federal characterizations.
12:44 AM
Minneapolis shooting: What we know about Alex Pretti, the man killed by Border Patrol agent
New information:
- Confirms the victim’s full name as 37‑year‑old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen with only traffic violations on his record and a valid Minnesota permit to carry.
- Details that Pretti was an ICU nurse employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a member of AFGE Local 3669, and is being publicly mourned by AFGE Local 704, which labeled the shooting his 'murder' and praised his service to veterans.
- Adds personal background: graduate of the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts (2011), avid outdoorsman and competitive cyclist, deeply engaged in protests against ICE and prior police violence, including demonstrations after George Floyd’s murder.
- Includes interviews with his father, mother and ex‑wife describing his politics (Democratic voter), history of protest participation, and the fact he obtained a carry permit and at least one semiautomatic handgun about three years ago.
- Shows that a memorial is forming at 26th & Nicollet, with community members gathering at the shooting site.
January 24, 2026
8:40 PM
The man killed by a US Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis was an ICU nurse, family says
New information:
- The man killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in south Minneapolis is identified by family as an ICU nurse who worked in critical care.
- Family members provide biographical details and describe his professional and personal life, including his role supporting patients and relatives.
- Relatives challenge aspects of the federal account of the shooting, adding their description of what kind of person he was and why he was in the area.
7:06 PM
Minneapolis shooting today: Reaction pours in after man killed by border agent
New information:
- Confirms the latest killing involved a Border Patrol agent, not ICE, though protests and political reaction are still focused on ICE’s presence.
- Documents on‑record responses from Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
- Elevates public framing that this is the third Minneapolis killing by federal agents since Renee Good was shot Jan. 7 and explicitly ties it to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
- Carries a Border Patrol Union statement asserting agents are 'trained extremely well' and framing the incident as a response to a 'supposed peaceful protester' brandishing a loaded handgun.
5:23 PM
Another person in Minneapolis shot and killed by feds
New information:
- Confirms this latest killing is at least the third time in a matter of weeks that federal officers have shot someone in Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge.
- Details contradictions between early federal leaks (leg wound) and subsequent reporting indicating the man was shot in the chest and died, underscoring reliability issues in official accounts.
- Places the shooting explicitly in the pattern of prior federal shootings (Renee Good and a north‑side case) and explains that it further escalates calls for independent investigations, with local officials and civil‑rights groups saying the surge is out of control.
- Reports that protest response after this shooting again involved chemical agents and aggressive crowd control, deepening fears among residents and adding fuel to lawsuits and impeachment calls targeting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
4:55 PM
LIVE UPDATES | Minneapolis shooting: Federal agents fatally shoot man Saturday morning
New information:
- Confirms federal agents (reported as Border Patrol via FOX reporting) fatally shot a man Saturday morning in Minneapolis, making this the third federal-agent shooting in the city since Renee Good was killed Jan. 7.
- Pins the location to the 26th–28th Street West and Nicollet Avenue South area and reports the man was shot in the chest and has died, per FOX 9 sources.
- Reports that protesters quickly gathered at the scene and that federal officers deployed chemical irritants on the crowd; at least one man was detained during the protest.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is coordinating with the Minnesota BCA and publicly demands that federal authorities allow the BCA to process the scene.
- The City of Minneapolis has scheduled an 11:30 a.m. briefing with Mayor Jacob Frey, Chief Brian O’Hara and Emergency Management Director Rachel Sayre, and Frey again publicly calls for ICE to leave Minnesota.
January 15, 2026
3:10 AM
Federal officer shoots person in leg after being attacked during Minneapolis arrest, AP source says
New information:
- AP, citing a federal law‑enforcement source, reports a federal officer shot a person in the leg during an arrest in Minneapolis.
- The AP account corroborates earlier local reporting that this was a federal use‑of‑force incident, not MPD or another local agency.
- The piece reinforces that this shooting is separate from, but follows, the ICE killing of Renee Good amid Operation Metro Surge.