A U.S. citizen was shot and killed by federal immigration agents during an operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, triggering widespread protests and intensifying scrutiny of enforcement tactics used by the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent opened fire in self-defense after a man approached officers with a handgun and resisted efforts to disarm him. The agency described the encounter as an attack on federal agents.
However, video footage verified by Reuters has raised serious questions about that account, showing the man holding what appeared to be a cellphone — not a weapon — moments before he was fatally shot.
The man killed was identified as Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen. Homeland Security officials said Pretti confronted agents during an immigration raid and acted violently.
But video from the scene depicts a different sequence of events.
In the footage, Pretti is seen filming as agents push protesters to the ground. He steps between agents and two women who had fallen, raises his arm defensively, and is pepper-sprayed while attempting to assist them.
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As he continues helping one woman, agents force Pretti to the ground. One officer is seen removing an item from his waistband before backing away. Seconds later, an officer fired four shots into Pretti’s back. Additional gunfire followed from another agent.
Agents initially moved away from his body before some appeared to provide medical aid, while others pushed back onlookers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the shooting, telling reporters that Pretti was armed and posed a threat.
“He wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence,” Noem said at a news conference, though she did not confirm whether Pretti pointed or fired a weapon.
Federal authorities later released an image of a handgun they said belonged to Pretti and maintained he was a lawful gun owner.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other local officials publicly questioned the federal account, pointing to the video evidence and calling for an independent investigation.
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Tensions have escalated further after federal officials declined to allow state or local authorities to participate in the probe into Pretti’s death.
The case follows the fatal shooting of another U.S. citizen, Renee Good, during a federal operation on January 7 — marking the second such incident this month and fueling growing concern among civil rights groups and local governments.
Pretti’s death drew hundreds of protesters to the Minneapolis neighborhood where the shooting occurred. Demonstrators confronted armed, masked federal agents, who deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades to disperse crowds.
Protests also erupted in New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, among other cities, as activists demanded accountability and transparency in federal immigration enforcement.
The shooting has sharpened debate over the role of federal agents in domestic law enforcement and the limits of their authority, particularly in states and cities that oppose aggressive immigration tactics.
