DHS is investigating whether Border Patrol agents mistakenly believed they were under fire after an apparent accidental gun discharge, leading to the fatal shooting
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The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether U.S. Border Patrol agents thought they were being fired upon when one fatally shot Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street over the weekend.
The New York Post reported that an accidental discharge of Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 pistol, which was being held by an agent after it was taken away from him, may have made authorities believe their lives were in danger.
Pretti, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, who was legally permitted to carry the weapon, was fired upon around 10 times and died at the scene.
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This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Michael Pretti via AP)
Officials initially said Pretti was brandishing the weapon as federal officers were conducting immigration enforcement operations.
“It was 100% an accidental discharge by the agent that relieved that person of their weapon. Because everyone’s guns were out, they think that there’s a shooting,” one source told the Post.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest and that a federal agent fired his weapon “fearing for his life.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks beside a screen showing an image of a handgun during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Footage of the incident shows an agent disarm Pretti shortly before he was killed. He entered into the initial scuffle with agents as he tried to assist another protester who had been pushed by law enforcement.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the newspaper that the agents involved were overworked and not trained to deal with protesters or types of confrontation they have endured while going about their duties.
“None of those agents should’ve had their gun out. It’s a confluence of them being asked to do enforcement work that they are not trained for,” one source said.
A photo of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, is displayed at the shooting scene Monday in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether U.S. Border Patrol agents thought they were being fired upon when one fatally shot Pretti. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
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“All of this is avoidable. None of this should be happening.”
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would be going to Minnesota amid violent clashes between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators.
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, some agents pull out of Minneapolis in wake of Alex Pretti shooting
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White House eases off ‘domestic terrorist’ label for Alex Pretti
The US Border Patrol’s chief Greg Bovino and some agents have been ordered out of Minneapolis in a stunning turnaround after a second US citizen was killed by federal agents in the city this month, sources told The Post.
The order does not extend to ICE and it does not include all Border Patrol agents.
However, Bovino will be joining the agents marching out of the state, according to sources.
He has been criticized for his no-holds-barred approach to immigration enforcement, and as well as his claims Saturday that Pretti was brandishing a gun before he was shot by Border agents.
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Chaos has reigned in the Minnesota city since Jan. 7 when anti-ICE protestor and mother-of-three Renee Good, 37, was shot dead by an ICE agent after she accelerated her SUV at him.
A second American, armed ICU nurse Pretti, was shot Saturday, and authorities believe that an errant shot from his pistol — after it was removed from him — may have caused agents to open fire.
Pretti, 37, was carrying a pistol in his belt when he put himself between a protestor and ICE agents, and was tackled and disarmed by Border Patrol agents before being shot dead in the scuffle.
Tensions reached a fever pitch after Pretti’s death – with even some Republicans publicly suggesting that the Department of Homeland Security withdraw its agents in a rare break from President Trump’s agenda.
Bovino spent the weekend calling Pretti a “domestic terrorist” who was planning to “massacre” immigration officers, while blaming Democrats like Gov. Tim Walz for “inciting” the chaos.
But President Trump seemed to dial that rhetoric back on Monday, saying he and the governor had a productive conversation about the situation.
“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
Other signs that change might be coming to the White House’s Minnesota campaign emerged Monday after “border czar” Tom Homan was dispatched to take over immigration operations in the state – replacing DHS sec. Kristi Noem.
Homan and Noem are two of Trump’s top immigration enforcement lieutenants, but the pair have held differing ideas about how to approach the issue.
Noem – with Bovino on her side – have sought to target all illegal immigrants in an attempt to maximize the deportation numbers.
Homan, however, has instead sought to focus on deporting illegal immigrants with criminal history or deportation orders already against them, Fox News previously reported.
The administration put on a united front, however, with Noem calling Homan’s assignment “good news for peace, safety and accountability in Minneapolis” in a Monday tweet.
“I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team — his experience and insight will help,” she wrote.
The investigation into Pretti’s killing, meanwhile, has continued as controversy rages.
DHS officials are probing whether Pretti’s gun may have discharged once they disarmed him – possibly causing officers to respond by firing their weapons, despite Pretti being restrained on the ground.
“It was 100% an accidental discharge by the agent that relieved that person of their weapon. Because everyone’s guns were out, they think that there’s a shooting,” a source told The Post, while others agreed that was the prevailing theory within the DHS.
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That is a departure from the DHS’ original stance, which claimed Pretti was menacing officers with his fully-permitted weapon with the intent to “massacre” them before agents intervened.
At least 10 bullets were fired at Pretti at close range after the first shot sounded – with sources lamenting that immigration officers were overworked and not trained to handle the conditions in Minneapolis.
“None of those agents should’ve had their gun out. It’s a confluence of them being asked to do enforcement work that they are not trained for,” one source said.1.4K
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“There are very mixed feelings internally about what’s going on, and they do not want to, nor are they prepared to do both protest, enforcement, and management, plus street-level enforcement like this,” they added.
“All of this is avoidable. None of this should be happening.”
