Bystander footage from a different vantage point circulates as officials identify the man killed and competing accounts harden.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A federal immigration operation turned deadly Saturday morning in south Minneapolis when a Border Patrol agent fatally shot a 37-year-old man as officers struggled with him in the street, according to authorities and witness videos. Fresh footage from a different angle spread online hours later, intensifying scrutiny of what happened during the seconds before shots were fired.
Officials identified the man as Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who lived in Minneapolis. The shooting is the second fatal encounter involving federal immigration agents in the city this month and comes amid heightened enforcement actions that have drawn daily protests and political backlash. Local and state leaders demanded clarity on why lethal force was used, while federal officials said agents faced an armed individual during a targeted operation. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension opened a review but said access to the immediate scene was initially limited as federal personnel secured evidence and completed their own procedures.
Shortly after 9 a.m., witnesses said plainclothes and uniformed federal agents converged near a busy corridor lined with small businesses and apartments. Cellphone videos show officers wrestling with a man on the pavement as commands are shouted. In one clip, a federal agent standing behind the group fires multiple times. Another video recorded from a different side of the scuffle shows the struggle in closer detail and has fueled claims online that the man was no longer holding a gun at the instant the shots were fired. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that sequence. “This is sickening,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement, calling for a state-led investigation and for federal leaders to account for the operation. Minneapolis officials asked people to avoid the area as crowds gathered and officers deployed chemical irritants to keep demonstrators back from an expanding perimeter, according to police radio traffic and witness accounts at the scene.
Border Patrol leaders said the agent who opened fire has eight years of service and discharged “defensive shots” after agents encountered an armed subject during a lawful enforcement action. They said agents recovered a handgun at the scene and that several officers wore body cameras or activated other recording devices. Local residents and protesters disputed that narrative, pointing to the circulating clips showing a prolonged struggle on the ground and a cluster of officers surrounding the man. Pretti’s parents said their son was a U.S. citizen and a critical care nurse who had finished an overnight shift earlier in the week. The precise number of rounds fired remains unclear; in at least one bystander video, more than 10 shots can be heard. Officials have not said how many agents fired or how many times Pretti was struck. The medical examiner had not yet released a formal cause and manner of death by late afternoon.
Saturday’s killing follows the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good during a separate immigration operation in Minneapolis, an incident that also drew intense scrutiny after video emerged of the encounter. State officials say the pace and scale of recent federal actions are unlike prior years and have strained coordination between agencies. The city has a long, painful history with police shootings, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer, and residents have become adept at documenting encounters with cellphones. That scrutiny has shaped expectations for rapid releases of video and reports. Civil rights groups said the latest footage underscores the need for independent review of federal use-of-force cases in Minnesota. Federal officials countered that agents are confronting higher risks amid organized resistance to arrests.
Investigators said they are collecting all available videos, canvassing for additional witnesses, and seeking digital evidence from nearby businesses and residents. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is expected to interview the agent who fired and others who were on scene, standard steps that typically occur within several days. Authorities said ballistics testing and forensic downloads of body-worn and in-car systems are underway. As of Saturday evening, no criminal charges had been filed, and officials did not name the agent. City leaders said they expect preliminary findings from the state review to be summarized publicly once key interviews are complete. A federal spokesperson said any internal review would run in parallel.
On the ground, the scene shifted from a taped-off block to a broader protest site by midday. Chanting crowds pressed against barricades, and volunteers handed out water and masks in the frigid air. A local shop owner said he hit the floor when the shots rang out. “It was pop-pop-pop, so fast,” said Luis Martinez, who runs a corner market across the street. “When I looked up, there were agents everywhere.” A neighbor, Tasha McKinney, said she started filming when she saw a man pinned beneath several officers. “People were yelling that he wasn’t fighting,” McKinney said. “Then the shots came.” At Target Center, the NBA postponed Saturday night’s Timberwolves–Warriors game as downtown security resources were redeployed, arena officials said. Memorials of candles and flowers formed near the shooting site before dusk.
As of late Saturday, officials said the investigation remained in its earliest phase. The BCA plans to process additional evidence and take more witness statements Sunday. City leaders said they will brief the public again once the medical examiner confirms preliminary findings and investigators reconcile timelines from the multiple videos. No timeline for releasing official recordings was provided.
Author note: Last updated January 24, 2026.