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During a press conference on Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not confirm if or when the man pointed a gun at officers, and if he was disarmed before federal agents killed him
Mike Bedigan, Erin Keller & Josh MarcusSunday 25 January 2026 01:40 GMT- Bookmark
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The man shot and killed by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has been named as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.
Federal officials accuse Pretti of attempting to assassinate officers with a pistol they say they recovered on scene.
Publicly available video does not show the 37-year-old pointing or drawing any weapons and threatening officers.
Another clip of the encounter shows him attempting to stand between agents and an individual a federal officer had just pushed to the ground.
A group of about six officers then stood over Pretti and wrestled with him on the ground, scattering after a series of shots rang out. One angle of the encounter appears to show an officer pulling a pistol resembling the one found on the scene off Pretti just before the shooting begins.
At a press briefing Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara said Pretti was a “lawful gun owner” with a permit to carry the weapon.
Federal officials have not provided any footage or a detailed timeline of the encounter, merely pointing to the gun as evidence Pretti was attempting an attack. State officials, meanwhile, accuse federal agents of obstructing their access as they attempted to investigate the crime scene.
His death is the second fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis in less than three weeks, after an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good earlier this month.
Key Points
- Federal agents shoot man in Minneapolis, Gov. Tim Walz confirms
- Minneapolis protester was ICU nurse, his parents say
- New angle on shooting contradicts federal narrative
- Key unanswered questions over today's Minnesota shooting
- Man shot by federal agents has died, hospital record shows
- Schumer says he and Dems will not back bill to fund DHS after Minnesota shooting
PHOTOS: Protests, vigils, and Minnesota National Guard on streets after latest shooting
(REUTERS)
(AP)
(AP)
(AFP via Getty Images)Josh Marcus25 January 2026 01:40Slain Minnesota man was 'kindest, sweetest human'
A former colleague offered warm memories on Saturday of Alex Pretti, the Minnesota man federal agents fatally shot this morning.
“One of my former research assistants was killed by ICE in Minneapolis today,” NYU professor Dr. Aasma Shaukat wrote on X. “Alex was the kindest, sweetest human and a ICU nurse with a bright future ahead of him. May his soul rest in peace and this senseless carnage stop.”
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 01:25Pete Buttigieg calls on conservatives and libertarians to break with Trump after shooting
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on members of the political center and right to break with Trump after today’s shooting.
“If there was ever a moment for libertarians and conservatives to step up and join the rest of us, we’re in it,” the Democrat wrote on X. “Americans have to unite and stop this descent from a freedom-loving nation into the kind of place where masked, militarized government agents are sent to politically noncompliant areas to roam the streets, terrorize civilians, and deploy violence with impunity.”
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 01:07New angle on shooting contradicts federal narrative
A new angle on Saturday’s shooting raises major questions about the Trump administration narrative of what happened.
Federal officials have claimed Alex Pretti, who was found with a pistol, was a terrorist who approached a group of immigration officers with the intent to attack them and cause maximum damage, prompting agents to fire defense shots.
However, video of the encounter, obtained by The New York Times, appears to show a very different sequence of events.
As the clip begins, Pretti can be seen standing in the street holding his phone.
Later, an agent can be seen shoving an individual, who appears to be a woman, to the ground.
Pretti then steps between the agent and the fallen person as well as a second bystander, and the agent repeatedly sprays Pretti with a chemical agent as he attempts to cover the fallen person with his body.
A larger group of agents then pulls Pretti to the ground and a struggle ensues, after which agents repeatedly shoot the 37-year-old.
At no point in the video does Pretti appear to threaten officers with a weapon.
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 01:03AOC accuses Trump of fomenting immigration chaos to enrich himself and allies
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses the Trump administration of pursuing a divide-and-conquer strategy through its military-style deportation crackdown as a way to enrich themselves and their allies.
“If you can keep people divided, if you can keep the American electorate deeply divided, then you can loot the economy,” she told CNN.
The progressive and frequent Trump critic added that the strategy benefits data mining companies like Palantir, which has notched lucrative contracts with the new administration.
Ocasio-Cortez accused such companies of trying to “enrich themselves off a surveillance state that attacks the American people.”
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 00:40Right-wing commentator doesn't see 'Trump winning this one' as video undercuts White House narrative
Normally, after a high-profile shooting, the partisan lines are drawn quickly.
That may not be the case with today’s shooting in Minneapolis.
In a post on X, popular right-wing streamer Tim Pool shared a video where agents appeared to disarm Alex Pretti before shooting, questioning how the Trump administration would defend the killing.
“Empty hand, then gun in hand. Appears the man may have been disarmed before being shot,” Pool wrote. “This is a chain of events in a greater conflict. Neither side cares at this point what justifies it or doesn’t. I don't see Trump winning this one”
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 00:25Schumer says he and Dems will not back bill to fund DHS after Minnesota shooting
Top Senate Democrats say they will not support a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security after today’s shooting, setting up the potential for a partial government shutdown.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling—and unacceptable in any American city,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X. “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 added.
“Trump’s endless empowerment of federal immigration agents has resulted in yet another senseless killing,” Sen. Mark Warner wrote in a separate post. “This brutal crackdown has to end. I cannot and will not vote to fund DHS while this administration continues these violent federal takeovers of our cities.”
The appropriations bill at issue passed the House earlier this week.
Only seven Democrats vote against bill to fund Homeland Security amid ICE crackdowns
But even then, many Democrats who voted for the bill say ICE is out of controlJosh Marcus25 January 2026 00:17Key unanswered questions over today's Minnesota shooting
There are still major holes in the factual record around what happened in today’s shooting.
The key question right now is if Alex Pretti posed a genuine threat to officers before they opened fire.
Federal officials have accused Pretti of being a would-be assassin and domestic terrorist who was seeking to inflict maximum damage on federal agents with a pistol that was in his possession.
However, federal officials including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino have not provided specific answers today about whether Pretti drew his weapon and otherwise made explicit threats to officers.
Minneapolis police say it appears Pretti had a legal permit to carry a weapon.
Instead, Noem said the weapon itself was evidence of an impending attack, even though the Constitution protects the right to keep arms.
Various clips of the encounter raise more questions than answers.
One angle of the clash appears to show an officer removing Pretti’s pistol before the agents began firing.
State officials also accuse federal agents of blocking their access to the crime scene to investigate the shooting further.
On a bigger-picture level, another major question is how the Trump administration will respond to the tension on the ground.
The White House has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send active-duty military members into U.S. cities to quell unrest in the past.
Josh Marcus25 January 2026 00:05Trump officials 'have blood on their hands,' senator says
Sen. Chris Van Hollen issued a scathing condemnation on Saturday after federal agents fatally shot a protester in Minneapolis, the third shooting by agents this month during the Trump administration’s ongoing operation in the state.
“Another brutal killing by Trump’s ICE agents,” Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, wrote on X. “Trump, Vance, Noem, Miller, & the whole morally depraved crew have blood on their hands. These killings are happening at their direction. They must be held accountable. Congress must cut-off funding for these heinous acts NOW!”
Congress is currently in the midst of spending negotiations around the immigration agencies.
Josh Marcus24 January 2026 23:48Top Democrat calls for impeachment of Kristi Noem
Congressman Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be impeached and denounced statements from the administration about the man DHS agents killed.
“Apparently, the Trump administration and its secret police only support the First and Second Amendments when it’s convenient to them,” Thompson said in a statement.
Thompson called on Demorats in the U.S. Senate to vote against a funding bill for DHS that passed the lower chamber last week.
“This is un-American and has to stop,” Thompson said. “The House must immediately take steps to impeach Kristi Noem.”
The Associated Press24 January 2026 23:36Newer1 / 8OlderMore about
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