Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis after deadly shooting
Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.
A man was shot and killed Saturday in a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 37-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday morning in Minneapolis — the second shooting of a U.S. citizen this month by federal agents in the city.
The shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, ratcheted up tensions, as protesters clashed in the streets with law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting.
The incident followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on Jan. 7.
What we know about the latest shooting by federal agents
Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security claims Pretti approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and when officers attempted to disarm him, he “violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” DHS said.
Local officials have disputed this characterization of events and criticized federal officials accusing them of rushing to “spin” the story.
The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti was a licensed handgun owner. Minnesota’s gun laws permit open carrying a handgun as long as the gun owner has a valid permit.
Videos of the confrontation showed the encounter between Pretti and officers. During the encounter, federal agents are seen spraying Pretti with a substance and pinning him to the ground before the shooting.
A witness in a federal court filing said Pretti was one of three people pepper-sprayed by agents and was attempting to help a woman up when he was tackled by the agents.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino have claimed without providing further evidence, that Pretti arrived at the scene “to inflict maximum damage on individuals” and Noem told reporters that his actions amounted to “domestic terrorism.”
“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism, that’s the facts.”
Despite being asked by reporters, neither Bovino and Neom answered when asked if Pretti ever brandished the gun before the encounter.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized federal officials saying, before any investigation has been completed, “the most powerful people in the federal government are spinning stories.”
State and local officials say they will conduct their own investigation into the shooting and repeated their calls for federal immigration agents to leave the city.
Judge grants order sought by local officials to preserve evidence
A judge in Minnesota granted a temporary restraining order sought by local officials preventing Trump administration officials from destroying any evidence related to Saturday’s fatal shooting.
“Defendants, together with their employees, agents, and anyone acting in concert with them, are ENJOINED from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers that took place in or around 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, including but not limited to evidence that Defendants and those working on their behalf removed from the scene and/or evidence that Defendants have taken into their exclusive custody,” Judge Eric C. Tostrud ordered.
Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis after deadly shooting
Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.
A man was shot and killed Saturday in a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 37-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday morning in Minneapolis — the second shooting of a U.S. citizen this month by federal agents in the city.
The shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, ratcheted up tensions, as protesters clashed in the streets with law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting.
The incident followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on Jan. 7.
What we know about the latest shooting by federal agents
Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security claims Pretti approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and when officers attempted to disarm him, he “violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” DHS said.
Local officials have disputed this characterization of events and criticized federal officials accusing them of rushing to “spin” the story.
The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti was a licensed handgun owner. Minnesota’s gun laws permit open carrying a handgun as long as the gun owner has a valid permit.
Videos of the confrontation showed the encounter between Pretti and officers. During the encounter, federal agents are seen spraying Pretti with a substance and pinning him to the ground before the shooting.
A witness in a federal court filing said Pretti was one of three people pepper-sprayed by agents and was attempting to help a woman up when he was tackled by the agents.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino have claimed without providing further evidence, that Pretti arrived at the scene “to inflict maximum damage on individuals” and Noem told reporters that his actions amounted to “domestic terrorism.”
“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism, that’s the facts.”
Despite being asked by reporters, neither Bovino and Neom answered when asked if Pretti ever brandished the gun before the encounter.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized federal officials saying, before any investigation has been completed, “the most powerful people in the federal government are spinning stories.”
State and local officials say they will conduct their own investigation into the shooting and repeated their calls for federal immigration agents to leave the city.
Judge grants order sought by local officials to preserve evidence
A judge in Minnesota granted a temporary restraining order sought by local officials preventing Trump administration officials from destroying any evidence related to Saturday’s fatal shooting.
“Defendants, together with their employees, agents, and anyone acting in concert with them, are ENJOINED from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers that took place in or around 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, including but not limited to evidence that Defendants and those working on their behalf removed from the scene and/or evidence that Defendants have taken into their exclusive custody,” Judge Eric C. Tostrud ordered.
A hearing has been set for Monday.
National guard deployed after Minneapolis man killed by Border Patrol
Natalie Neysa AlundEduardo CuevasZachary SchermeleMichael Loria
USA TODAY
DeeperDiveBETA
How have federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis affected local tensions?
What was the profession of Alex Pretti, the man killed by Border Patrol?
How have federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis affected local tensions?
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This page reflects the news from the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24. For the latest updates, read USA TODAY’s live coverage for Sunday, Jan. 25.
A Border Patrol officer fatally shot a man in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, igniting further tension between local leaders and the federal government over heightened immigration enforcement actions in the city.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred Saturday morning while Border Patrol officers were conducting an immigration enforcement operation. Federal officials said a man armed with a handgun approached the officers, who fired “defensive shots” after the man resisted an attempt to disarm him.
The person killed has been identified as Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and VA nurse. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed he was a U.S. citizen with a permit to carry a firearm.
Several bystanders recorded videos of the encounter from different angles. Videos do not show Pretti wielding a gun.
This is the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis after Trump sent thousands of federal immigration officers to the city in what the administration says is the “largest immigration enforcement operation ever.”
Officials have warned residents to avoid the area of Saturday’s shooting as protesters clashed with federal agents still on scene. Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to protect a federal building in Minneapolis and the scene where the fatal shooting happened.
Follow along for the latest updates.More: Timeline of Minneapolis shooting video details killing of Alex Pretti
Shooting witness details ICE killing in court filings
In a federal court filing on Saturday, a witness of the shooting wrote that Pretti “did not brandish a weapon of any kind” and that afterwards “agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.”
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The sworn declaration to the court comes in connection to a class action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, charging the agency with using intimidation tactics reminiscent of “pre-World War II Germany or Pinochet’s Chile” to chill free speech protected under the First Amendment.
According to the court filing, the witness, whose name was redacted, is a physician who lives near where the shooting occurred. The witness woke up on Saturday to the sound of “screaming from outside” and saw Pretti “yelling at ICE agents.”
“I saw him yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind,” the witness wrote. “Suddenly, an ICE agent shoved him to the ground. My view of the altercation was partially obstructed, but after a few second, I saw at least four ICE agents point guns at the man. I then saw the agents shoot the man at least six or seven times.”
Afterwards, the witness went to treat Pretti’s wounds. The witness said agents were not administering first aid.
“I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice,” the pediatrician wrote. “Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the IE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.”
‘Heartbroken but also very angry,’ Pretti’s family says in statement
Pretti’s family released a statement late Saturday evening that expressed the family’s grief over the 37-year-old and also celebrated him as a “hero.”
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the family said in a statement shared with CNN. “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman.”
Bystander video appears to show Pretti confronting authorities holding a cell phone after one federal agent shoves a woman.
The family also slammed the Trump administration for its characterization of Pretti as someone who came with a gun to “kill law enforcement.”
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed,” the family said. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”
Pretti’s family did not immediately reply to USA TODAY requests for comment.More: Police improved community relations after George Floyd. Is ICE a setback?
Trump DOJ Bondi targets Walz in new letter
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in the wake of the fatal shooting spelled out a list of demands in a letter to Walz that she says will restore “law and order” in the state.
According to a copy of the letter shared by Fox News, the DOJ’s demands include Minnesota share state records related to welfare and subsidized healthcare programs; repeal sanctuary city laws; and share state voter registration records.
“You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers, and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota,” Bondi wrote. “I am confident that these simple steps will help bring back law and order to Minnesota and improve the lives of Americans.”
The attorney general’s letter broadly condemns Walz’s administration, accusing the former candidate for vice president of inciting resistance to immigration enforcement. Bondi demanded the state help Homeland Security officers conducting raids in Minnesota.
Walz’s office did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Justice Department officials also did not reply to requests for information.
Democrats refuse to advance bills to avoid government shutdown after shooting
The latest deadly altercation in Minneapolis is threatening to imperil an 11th-hour scramble in Congress to get the last of its appropriations bills passed in less than a week. And it’s prompting calls to strip out a Department of Homeland Security funding measure for a separate vote amid a spiking risk of a partial shutdown on the heels of last year’s record-breaking crisis.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a statement after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 37-year-old man that Senate Democrats won’t support keeping the government fully open while also funding DHS.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling – and unacceptable in any American city,” he said. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
DHS Secretary Noem says Pretti ‘committed an act of domestic terrorism’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters on Saturday that she agreed with the White House that Pretti “committed an act of domestic terrorism.”
“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism,” said Noem, adding the semiautomatic handgun and two magazines Pretti was carrying indicated he intended to “inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement.”
Pretti had a permit to carry a gun. He is not seen wielding a weapon in bystander video. Widely circulated footage of the incident appears to show agents remove a gun from a scrum with Pretti before shots are fired.
For example, one video shows an agent approach the struggle with empty hands, then emerge holding a gun. Rob Doar, an attorney and president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, told KTSP in Minneapolis that the firearm the federal agent emerges with has the same optic and coloring as the one in an image posted by the White House on social media and displayed during a news conference with Noem.
The fatal shooting sparked large-scale protests at the scene, Noem said. A Homeland Security Investigations agent had his finger bitten off during the melee, according to the secretary.
Noem blamed the “tragic situation” on Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey for calling immigration authorities “the Gestapo.” She said the pair “need to take a long hard look in the mirror.” Who is Alex Pretti? What we know about the man killed by Border Patrol
Government union calls DHS narrative ‘clearly not established’
The American Federation of Government Employees, a government union that represented Pretti in his work at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, blasted Homeland Security for saying their account of the fatal shooting.
“DHS has publicly stated that the victim was brandishing a weapon at officers,” the union said in a statement. “However, based on the video currently available, that claim is not clearly established.”
Union officials offered condolences for Pretti, a registered nurse.
“What we do know is this: a member of our union lost their life today, and that alone is devastating. Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own,” the group said.
The union said Pretti was a member of AFGE Local 3669, the group representing workers at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Union officials are investigating whether the Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting was a union member, the group said in a statement.
Minnesota National Guard deployed after fatal shooting
Minnesota National Guard members on Saturday “mobilized from a ready posture to active support” of a federal building in Minneapolis and the scene where the fatal shooting happened, a national guard spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Gov. Tim Walz and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office requested the guard members deploy to secure the site of the shooting and the Whipple Federal Building, a known immigration authority staging area that’s become a hotspot for protesters, according to the statement.
“The Minnesota National Guard’s mission remains the same: preserving life, protecting property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights,” Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, a state national guard public affairs officer, said in a statement.
State officials did not immediately respond to requests for information on how many troops would be deployed or how long the deployment would last.
Timberwolves-Warriors game postponed after Minneapolis shooting
The Minnesota Timberwolves‘ game against the Golden State Warriors in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24 was postponed hours after federal officers shot and killed a man in the city .
“The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” the Timberwolves said in a statement.
The game will be pushed back 24 hours and is now scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 25.
The game was supposed to aired nationally by ABC as part of a tripleheader.
− Marcus D. SmithMore: Charles Barkley makes bold statement after Timberwolves postponement
Bystander videos show deadly encounter
Several bystanders recorded video of the deadly encounter from various angles.
Federal officials said that Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun and agents tried to disarm him. In videos, Pretti is seen holding up his cell phone towards officers; local officials have told protesters to use their cell phones to record agents conducting immigration enforcement. At no point is Pretti seen wielding a gun.
One video with a clear view of the encounter shows an officer shoving a person near Pretti. Pretti steps between them, and the officer sprays him with a chemical spray. More officers approach and wrestle Pretti to the ground, striking him repeatedly. Pretti is on his hands and knees with at least eight officers surrounding him when a gunshot is heard. The officers surrounding Pretti jump back and one appears to draw a gun. A series of gunshots are heard and Pretti slumps to the ground, followed by further gunshots.
Man killed identified as Alex Pretti
The man fatally shot has been identified as Alex Pretti, according to the Associated Press and the Minnesota Star Tribune. The Associated Press reported Pretti’s parents confirmed his identity, and said he was an intensive care unit nurse.
USA TODAY has reached out to Pretti’s family.
Gov. Walz demands state lead shooting investigation
During news conference Saturday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz insisted his state lead the investigation into the shooting while calling for protests to remain peaceful.
“Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this. It must have the last word,” Walz said. “As I told the White House in no uncertain terms this morning, The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation.”
He also said the state could take legal action against federal agents and officials involved.
“Minnesotans are witnessing, and we’re creating a log of evidence for the future prosecution of ICE agents and officials responsible for this,” Walz said.
Walz, a Democrat, encouraged residents to protest but urged them to remain peaceful: “They think they can provoke us into abandoning our values. Well, they’re dead wrong. We will keep the peace. We’ll secure the justice with our neighbors, and we’ll see this occupation ends.”
Bovino defends Border Patrol agent’s actions
Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol commander-at-large, defended the actions of the officer who shot and killed the man.
In a news briefing, Bovino said the officer has been a Border Patrol agent for eight years. He has training as a “range safety officer” and “less lethal officer,” said Bovino, who didn’t give the agent’s name.
“This is only the latest attack on law enforcement,” Bovino told reporters. “Across the country, the men and women of DHS have been attacked, shot at, doxxed, had their family members threatened.”More: Will another deadly shooting bring another government shutdown?
Trump accuses mayor and governor ‘inciting insurrection’
President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the shooting, asking why local police did not protect ICE officers.
“The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” he wrote.
Trump’s comment came soon after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on the president to “take action now to remove these federal agents.” Frey and Walz have repeatedly called for an end to the aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in the state.
“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” Trump wrote in his post. “Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!”
− Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
DHS: Armed man approached Border Patrol officers
U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred while officers were conducting an immigration enforcement operation. At around 9:05 a.m. local time, a person armed with a handgun approached Border Patrol officers, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. … Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.” McLaughlin said.
Medics immediately tried to deliver medical aid to the subject, McLaughlin said, but he was pronounced dead on scene. McLaughlin didn’t identify the person killed.
Man shot believed to be Minneapolis resident, US citizen, police chief says
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the person killed was believed to be a 37-year-old White male who is a city resident and U.S. citizen with a permit to carry a firearm.
Renee Good, who was also killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis, was 37, too.
O’Hara did not provide the name of the person killed.
City officials said the shooting − the city’s third since federal immigration agents have surged into the Midwestern city − took place in the area of 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue.https://e.infogram.com/036670e1-d051-48dc-aa5a-2097e9e891d1?src=embed#async_embed
Minneapolis mayor to Trump: ‘This is a moment to act like a leader’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, pleaded with President Trump to halt the surge of federal agents in his city, stressing it hasn’t made the community safer.
He addressed the White House directly at a news conference, saying: “To President Trump, this is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first, in this moment. Let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation, and I’m telling you our city will come back. Safety will be restored.”
Tensions high after previous ICE shooting in Minneapolis
On Jan. 7, an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis.
Good’s killing launched a wave of demonstrations against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions and legal battles between Minnesota’s state and local officials and the federal government.
Some 3,000 immigration agents have swarmed the Minneapolis region as part of the “largest immigration enforcement operation ever,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. The agency says over 3,000 undocumented immigrants have been detained as part of the operation.
This is a developing story.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
