January 24, 2026 — Fatal shooting of Minneapolis man
What we covered
• Deadly shooting: Video appears to show a federal officer had taken a gun away from a Minneapolis man prior to a Border Patrol agent fatally shooting him today. The man has been identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old who sources say worked as an ICU nurse. Police said he’s believed to have been a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
• Restraining order: A Minnesota judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying evidence from the incident. Minnesota authorities had sued the Trump administration, claiming its officials “took from the scene” of the shooting and prevented state officials from inspecting.
• Tensions inflamed: Anti-ICE protesters were already marching in Minneapolis today despite frigid temperatures. Authorities used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse an angry crowd confronting agents after the shooting.
Our live coverage has moved here.
Judge grants temporary restraining order to protect evidence in fatal shooting of Alex Pretti
From CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones and Laura Sharman
Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting involving federal immigration agents, in Minneapolis, on Saturday. Seth Herald/Reuters
A federal judge in Minnesota has granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis.
US District Judge Eric Tostrud issued an order on Saturday evening barring federal defendants – including the Department of Homeland Security and federal immigration agencies – from destroying or altering any evidence related to the shooting.
This includes evidence allegedly removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody, the order said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office requested the order after suing the Trump administration earlier Saturday.
CNN has reached out to DHS and the US Justice Department for comment on the lawsuit and the allegations made by Minnesota authorities.
A court hearing is scheduled for Monday, 2pm CT in St. Paul.
The ruling marks an early legal victory for state officials seeking to preserve evidence and assert oversight of the investigation into the deadly encounter involving federal officers.
Minneapolis pediatrician faults federal agents for not starting CPR on Alex Pretti in new court filing
From CNN’s Laura Sharman
A Minneapolis pediatrician described watching a man – later identified as Alex Pretti – be shot by a federal agent on Saturday and criticized the federal officers at the scene for not checking the man’s pulse or beginning to perform CPR, according to a new filing in a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by protesters in December.
“Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the (federal immigration) agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds,” a 29-year-old Minneapolis resident who says they are a licensed pediatrician said in a sworn declaration filed Saturday.
The pediatrician reported witnessing the shooting from the window of their apartment and described seeing federal agents shove a man who appeared to be unarmed to the ground and point their guns at him before shots were fired.
“Initially, I was stunned. From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers,” the pediatrician said.
The Department of Homeland Security said earlier that Border Patrol officers attempted to disarm an armed man who had approached them, and an agent fired defensive shots when the man “violently resisted.” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed the man was trying to “massacre law enforcement.”
After hurrying to the scene, the pediatrician said they were a doctor and asked federal agents to let them assess the man. The pediatrician said agents first asked for a physician’s license, but an agent eventually allowed access to the man.
The pediatrician said they saw the man surrounded by several federal agents with “at least three bullet wounds in his back” and was confused to see the man lying on his side because “that is not standard practice” for a person who has been shot.
When the man was turned onto his back, the pediatrician said they saw a gunshot wound to his chest and another to his neck. They found no pulse, and immediately began CPR until emergency services arrived.
“I do not feel safe in my city,” the pediatrician added, according to the filing. “In less than one month, ICE agents have shot and killed two people for protesting and observing their actions. I worry that I or someone I love will be shot and killed for voicing their displeasure and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
CNN has reached out to lawyers for the witnesses and DHS for comment on the new filings.
Catch up on the latest notable reactions to the Minneapolis shooting
From CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab
Smoke from burning dumpsters rises, during clashes between federal agents and community members in Minneapolis, on Saturday. Tim Evans/Reuters
Here are some key reactions to the shooting today of a man in Minneapolis by federal law enforcement.
- President Donald Trump said local and state officials were “inciting insurrection,” suggesting without evidence that they called off local police from protecting federal immigration officers at the shooting scene.
- Vice President JD Vance called what was happening in Minneapolis “engineered chaos” and accused local authorities of working with “far left agitators.”
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota criticized the scope and conduct of federal enforcement operations in Minnesota and said Minneapolis has been “under siege.”
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the presence of Alex Pretti, who was shot by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis today, as a “violent riot.”
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the Department of Homeland Security’s recounting of the events that led to the shooting “nonsense” and “lies,” after watching video of the incident. He likened the actions of the immigration enforcement officers in the state to an “occupation,” and promised to “secure justice for our neighbors. And … see this occupation end,” in a post on X Saturday.
- Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said that “unlike (his) Democratic colleagues,” he would “let law enforcement conduct their investigation and not jump to asinine conclusions.”
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats “will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” threatening a partial government shutdown.
- Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy wrote in a post on X: “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”
CNN’s Logan Schiciano and Angelica Tyler contributed to this post.
Photos: Protests stretch across the country
From CNN Staff
Demonstrators rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City on Saturday, following the deadly shooting of a man by federal immigration officers earlier in the day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday reignited protests against immigration crackdowns in several cities across the country. Demonstrations stretches from New York, with people holding placard banners calling for the abolishment of ICE, to Los Angeles, where a candlelight vigil was held.
A demonstrator wipes tears from his eyes during a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles. Caroline Brehman/AP
Demonstrators attend an anti-ICE rally inside the Agora Palace Event Center in Lewiston, Maine. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in Minneapolis. Adam Gray/AP
People protest in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, DC. Alex Wroblewski/AFP/Getty Images
Democratic representative says Minneapolis shooting carried out by “federal cowards”
From CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab
Rep. Moulton speaks on ICE Minnesota man killing
05:31
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton strongly condemned the fatal shooting of Minnesota man Alex Pretti, arguing in an interview with CNN that the “only debate” to be had about the incident is whether it was a “murder or execution.”
“I’ve seen a bunch of federal cowards killing a brave American patriot, someone who served veterans like myself in a VA hospital, someone who is trying to protect a fellow American citizen exercising her First Amendment rights, someone who had every Second Amendment right to carry a weapon,” the Massachusetts lawmaker told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
He went on to compare the incident to a state crackdown on protesters in Iran, which has killed thousands.
The Department of Homeland Security has said federal agents involved in the deadly shooting Saturday were acting in self-defense.
“Americans need to wake up, and my Republican colleagues in Washington need to wake up,” Moulton said.
Democrats, who are outraged over the shooting, have threatened a partial government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding in the wake of the incident.
Moments before Alex Pretti was shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis
From CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones and Sharif Paget
New close up video angle shows the moments before Alex Pretti was fatally shot
00:33
Video shot from the inside of a white car shows a close-up view of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
At the beginning of the video, the person filming can be heard saying “whoa,” after the person with the orange backpack is pushed.
Pretti can then be seen getting between the agent and the person with the orange backpack as the same agent then starts spraying what appears to be a chemical agent close to Pretti’s face.
Then, agents pull Pretti and seem to throw him onto the ground as Pretti continues to hold onto the person with the orange backpack.
Another person, wearing a gas mask, is threatened with a chemical agent from up close by an officer as agents wrestle with Pretti, who is not visible in the video anymore. Shortly after, a gunshot can be heard.
Witness says Alex Pretti didn’t resist or reach for a gun before shooting in new court filing
From CNN’s Danya Gainor
A witness to Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis described watching a man – later identified as Alex Pretti – be shot by a federal agent after trying to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed, saying he did not resist or reach for a gun, according to a new filing in a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by protesters in December.
“I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong,” the unnamed witness said in the Saturday filing. “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.”
The Department of Homeland Security said earlier that Border Patrol officers attempted to disarm an armed man who had approached them, and an agent fired defensive shots when the man “violently resisted.” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed the man was trying to “massacre law enforcement.”
The witness said Pretti was observing and helping to direct traffic around a convoy of federal vehicles before he and the witness moved closer to document the immigration activity with their phones. When an agent asked them to back up, the witness said they moved onto the sidewalk, but Pretti stayed in the street and filmed.
Pretti moved closer to two other observers in the street as they were threatened with pepper spray and one was pushed to the ground, the witness said. An agent sprayed all three of them in the face, the witness said. Pretti put his hands above his head and was sprayed again and pushed by the agent.
Pretti then tried to help the woman who was pushed to the ground before being grabbed by multiple agents and pulled to the ground, the witness said.
”I didn’t see him touch any of them–he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun,” they wrote. “Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.”
CNN has reached out to lawyers for the witnesses and DHS for comment on the new filings.
