Videos quickly emerged Saturday showing the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester by federal immigration agents, with Democratic leaders in Minnesota saying the footage showed the deadly encounter was the result of untrained federal officers overreacting and the Trump administration saying the man provoked the violence.
It was the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by federal immigration authorities this month. The killing of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7 also was captured on videos and produced a similar schism among political leaders.
At around 9 a.m. on Saturday, federal agents patrolling Minneapolis killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti after a roughly 30-second scuffle. The Trump administration said shots were fired “defensively” against Pretti, who federal authorities said had a semiautomatic handgun and was “violently” resisting officers.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he watched one of several videos, said he saw “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents, shooting him to death.” Frey has said Minneapolis and St. Paul are being “invaded” by the administration’s largest immigration crackdown, dubbed Operation Metro Surge.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and Customs and Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino said Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” In posts on X, President Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Pretti “a would-be assassin.”
The shooting Saturday occurred as officers were pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault, Bovino said. Protesters routinely try to disrupt such operations, and they sounded their high-pitched whistles, honked horns and yelled out at the officers.
Among them was Pretti. At one point, in a video obtained by the Associated Press, Pretti is standing in the street and holding up his phone. He is face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who places his hand on Pretti and pushes him toward the sidewalk.
Pretti is talking to the officer, though it is not clear what he is saying.
The video shows protesters wandering in and out of the street as officers persist in trying to talk them back. One protester is put in handcuffs. Some officers are carrying pepper spray canisters.
Pretti is seen again when the video shows an officer wearing tactical gear shoving a protester. The protester, who is wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle, reaches out for Pretti.
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
A different video then shows Pretti moving toward another protester, who falls over after being shoved by the same officer. Pretti moves between the protester and the officer, reaching his arms out toward the officer. The officer deploys pepper spray, and Pretti raises his hand and turns his face. The officer grabs Pretti’s hand to bring it behind his back, and deploys the pepper spray canister again and then pushes Pretti away.
Seconds later, at least half a dozen federal officers surround Pretti, who is wrestled to the ground and hit several times. Several agents try to bring Pretti’s arms behind his back, and he struggles.
Videos show an officer, who is hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, back away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot is heard.
Someone shouts, “Gun, gun.” It is not clear whether that’s a reference to the weapon authorities say Pretti had.
And then the first shot is heard.
Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot. In one video, seconds before that shot, one officer reaches for his belt and appears to draw his gun. The same officer is seen with a gun to Pretti’s back as three more shots ring out. Pretti slumps to the ground. Videos show the officers backing away, some with guns drawn. More shots are fired.
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not say whether Pretti, who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon, brandished the gun or kept it hidden.
An agency statement said officers fired “defensive shots” after Pretti “violently resisted” officers trying to disarm him.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expressed dismay at the characterization.
“I’ve seen the videos, from several angles, and it’s sickening,” he said.
Trump weighed in on social media by lashing out at Walz and Frey. He shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered from Pretti and said “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”
Fingerhut writes for the Associated Press.
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