Tensions have now reached a boiling point in Minneapolis after a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a physical altercation, the second fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement in the city this month.
Here’s what we know about the shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday.
What the Trump administration is saying
The Department of the Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents were attempting to make an arrest shortly after 9 a.m. in south Minneapolis on Saturday. During that “targeted” operation “against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault,” the agents were approached by a man, identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, armed with a “9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”
DHS said federal agents attempted to disarm Pretti, but he “violently resisted.” One agent, “fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers,” then fired “defensive shots” at Pretti, who died at the scene.
DHS added that Pretti had two gun magazines on him but no identification, concluding that “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later said state Democratic lawmakers were to blame for the increased tensions, while President Donald Trump similarly accused both Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection” with “their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric” against federal immigration officers.
Footage of shooting paints a slightly different picture
Footage reviewed by the Washington Examiner casts some doubt on the Trump administration’s characterization of the shooting.
Video shows a federal agent being approached by a woman, who is then pushed to the ground. Pretti, holding just his cell phone, briefly intervenes, before being pepper-sprayed by the agent. A scrum then ensues, as at least five other agents attempt to subdue Pretti.
While on the ground, one agent notices Pretti’s weapon and appears to remove it from his waistband and away from the scene. Seconds later, one agent pulls out his gun and points it at Pretti, with multiple shots then ringing out.
Victim identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti
The victim of the shooting was identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen with no criminal background and a valid gun permit, according to Minnesota police chief Brian O’Hara. While agents had moved to disarm Pretti, open carry of a handgun is legal in Minnesota with a permit.
Pretti had worked as an ICU nurse for the Veterans Affairs healthcare system in Minneapolis, and was described by his family as “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for.”
“We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact,” his family said in a statement.
They also disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of the shooting, calling their account “reprehensible and disgusting.”
“I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you,” the statement concluded.
According to the Associated Press, he appeared at protests following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good earlier this month, and was described by family members as upset over Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Government shutdown now likely
Following the shooting, Senate Democrats pledged to vote against advancing the appropriations legislation to fund the government if no changes are made to the DHS funding bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made the announcement on Saturday night, calling the shooting “appalling” and pledging a united Democrat front in opposing the legislation if the unchanged DHS bill is included.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city. Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no. Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” he said.
Schumer’s statement sets up another shutdown fight just months after the longest in U.S. history. The Senate has until Jan. 30 to pass the appropriations bill or the government will shut down.
How Minnesota lawmakers responded to the fatal shooting
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has trashed the DHS’s account of the shooting, calling it “nonsense” and “lies.”
“What I see with my eyes and what you’re going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe,” he said during a news conference. “I’ve seen the videos from several angles, and it’s sickening.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey later pleaded for Trump to end the immigration operation in the city, saying it “has to end.”
ARMED MAN SHOT DEAD BY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN MINNEAPOLIS DURING PHYSICAL ALTERCATION
“So to President Trump, this is a moment to act like a leader,” he said. “Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment. Let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation and, I’m telling you, our city will come back. Safety will be restored. We’re asking for you to take action now to remove these federal agents.”
The state National Guard was also deployed after being mobilized last weekend due to, at times, violent anti-ICE protests. Their role has so far been limited to implementing a temporary vehicle perimeter near the scene of the shooting.
