ALEX JEFFREY PRETTI, Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen on Saturday morning, an incident that has raised questions about whether the use of deadly force was justified, despite the Department of Homeland Security stating that agents feared for their lives.
The victim was identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a local resident and licensed nurse. The shooting occurred amid an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in south Minneapolis and was captured from multiple angles on video now circulating online.
In the moments leading up to the shooting, Pretti was seen filming federal agents along the streets of south Minneapolis. According to video footage and eyewitness accounts, Pretti attempted to intervene after agents began spraying a female protester with mace. As he stepped in, additional agents converged and surrounded him.
Video shows a group of federal agents restraining Pretti on the sidewalk. At least one agent appears to strike him with an object before an apparent gunshot is heard, followed by several more. The agents then disperse as Pretti collapses to the ground.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti was shot multiple times in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. O’Hara confirmed that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry a firearm. Two magazines were recovered from his body. The chief also stated that Pretti worked as a nurse in an emergency medical setting.
According to multiple video angles reviewed online, Pretti does not appear to be handling or aiming his firearm during the encounter. Footage appears to show the handgun remaining holstered on his hip throughout the incident. Some commentators have claimed the weapon was removed from Pretti before shots were fired, though that detail has not been officially confirmed.
Minnesota law allows individuals with permits to openly carry handguns in public without concealment.
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the shooting occurred during a “targeted operation” involving ICE agents seeking a person allegedly in the country illegally and wanted for assault. DHS claimed that an individual approached Border Patrol agents while armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and that agents attempted to disarm him, resulting in what they described as an “armed struggle.” The department stated that an agent feared for his life and fired his weapon.
The shooting happened shortly after 9 a.m. near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue, close to a Glam Doll Donuts location. As news spread, dozens of protesters gathered at the scene, blowing whistles and demanding the arrest of the federal agents involved. Law enforcement deployed tear gas and flash-bang devices to disperse the crowd, according to reporting by The New York Times.
Minneapolis police officers were dispatched to the area and worked to keep protesters and federal agents separated as tensions escalated. More than 100 people gathered, blocking streets and shouting at agents.
The shooting occurred one day after large-scale protests in Minneapolis against federal immigration enforcement policies, during which hundreds of businesses closed in solidarity. It marks the third shooting involving federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis this month, including the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, 37.
The incident remains under investigation. Federal authorities have not released the name of the agent involved, and questions surrounding the circumstances of Pretti’s death continue to draw public scrutiny.
