Federal agents gunned down Alex Jeffrey Pretti on a snowy Minneapolis street Saturday morning. The 37-year-old registered nurse became the second person killed by immigration officers in three weeks.
Pretti died after Border Patrol agents wrestled him to the ground during what officials called an immigration enforcement operation. Video footage shows multiple masked agents in tactical gear pinning him down before shots rang out.
The licensed nurse had no serious criminal history beyond parking tickets. State records show Pretti earned his nursing license in 2021 and worked as a junior scientist at the University of Minnesota Medical School since 2012.
Tim Walz exploded at federal authorities during a Saturday press conference. The Minnesota governor called the shooting “sickening” and demanded an end to what he termed a “federal occupation” of Minneapolis.
“Stop calling them law enforcement,” Walz said. “We have enforcement who are doing an incredible job. They want chaos.”
Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino claimed Pretti approached agents with a gun and “wanted to do maximum damage.” But Walz rejected that narrative after reviewing bystander footage.
“Thank God we have video,” the governor said. “It’s nonsense people. It’s nonsense and it’s lies.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune identified Pretti through sources familiar with the investigation. He lived in South Minneapolis and graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006.
Open-source analysts began examining video footage that captured the fatal encounter. The disturbing clips show agents beating and kicking Pretti before the shooting. One expert suggested footage might show an officer disarming Pretti before other agents opened fire. The sequence of events remains under investigation.
The president posted photos of what he claimed was Pretti’s loaded pistol with two additional magazines.
“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! Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota?,” Trump wrote about local police.
The president also referenced a local fraud scandal, claiming billions of dollars were stolen from Minnesota. He linked the immigration raids to investigations into financial crimes.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit. The chief said federal authorities provided no details about the incident to local police.
The shooting happened less than three weeks after ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good on January 7. Good, also 37, was shot three times while unarmed outside a Minneapolis donut shop.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the shooting scene on Nicollet Avenue. Federal agents fired tear gas at the crowd as tensions escalated throughout the day. Mayor Jacob Frey demanded that Donald Trump remove federal personnel from the city. “How many more Americans need to die?” Frey asked during the press conference.
Walz announced he was staging National Guard troops and demanded state investigators lead the probe into Pretti’s death.
Federal authorities said they would conduct their own investigation. Pretti’s death marks the third shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis this month. The escalating violence has sparked nationwide attention and protests.
Thousands of Minnesotans participated in an economic strike on Friday to protest ICE operations. About 100 clergy members were arrested during the “Day of Truth & Freedom” demonstration.
Businesses across the state closed in solidarity with protesters demanding ICE leave Minnesota. The Minneapolis City Council endorsed the general strike action.
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