On the morning of January 24, 2026, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti on Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis during a federal immigration enforcement operation, setting off immediate protests and a heated dispute over what happened. Federal officials said the agent fired in self-defense after a man approached with a handgun, while multiple bystander videos and witnesses, and Pretti’s family, say he was holding a phone and trying to help other protesters when he was pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground, and shot.
By midafternoon, the scene was a flashpoint, with hundreds of people gathering near the intersection, officers using crowd-control tools, and local leaders calling for accountability. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said federal personnel denied its investigators access to the scene, prompting legal steps and a judge-ordered preservation of evidence, and Governor Tim Walz requested National Guard support to stabilize local staffing.
What officials say happened, and why accounts differ
The Department of Homeland Security described the episode as part of a targeted operation, saying a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots after a man approached officers with a 9mm handgun and resisted disarmament. Federal spokespeople released images and statements asserting the recovered weapon belonged to the man who was shot.
At the same time, several videos taken by bystanders that circulated online show a man, later identified as Alex Pretti, filming officers with a phone, stepping between officers and other protesters, being pepper-sprayed, and then being wrestled to the ground by multiple agents. In those clips, the man does not appear to be brandishing a firearm before he is pinned down, and observers say an item is later removed from his waistband, after which multiple shots are heard.
Those two accounts are not yet reconciled. Investigators will need to determine who had physical control of any weapon at the time shots were fired, which agent or agents fired, and whether the use of force met federal and state legal standards.
Who was Alex Pretti
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, worked as an intensive care nurse at a Minneapolis VA hospital, family members and colleagues told reporters. They described him as active in his community, concerned about immigration policy, and not someone with a violent criminal history. Local officials confirmed he held a permit to carry, though the presence or handling of a gun at the time of the shooting is disputed.
Pretti’s parents and friends protested the federal account, saying their son had been trying to protect or assist other protesters when he was struck and then shot, and they urged for an independent, transparent investigation.
"They are telling sickening lies," Pretti’s parents said in a public statement, expressing grief and outrage.
The month-long context: three federal shootings in January
Several incidents involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis have unfolded in January 2026, creating heightened tension.
Date | Victim | Outcome | Federal account | Local or video evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 7, 2026 | Ren e9e Good | Fatally shot | ICE said agent fired after vehicle incident | Video and local officials questioned the federal narrative |
Jan. 14, 2026 | Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis | Shot in the leg, survived | DHS said officer shot after being attacked during traffic stop | Local reporting recorded protests and unrest |
Jan. 24, 2026 | Alex Jeffrey Pretti | Fatally shot | Border Patrol said agent fired defensively after approach with handgun | Bystander videos and family say Pretti had a phone and was trying to help others |
Key statistic: 3 incidents involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January have pushed the dispute beyond a local law-enforcement question, into a national debate about federal authority and community safety.
Reactions, locally and nationally
Local leaders and law enforcement
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly demanded the end of the federal deployment and said the city needed the scenes secured for a proper investigation.
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shooting as "sickening" and urged that the state justice system have the final say, while activating the National Guard to support local staffing and public safety.
- The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said federal agents initially denied state investigators access to the crime scene, prompting the BCA to seek judicial remedies to preserve evidence.
Federal officials and political leaders
- Department of Homeland Security officials defended the agent's actions, calling the shooting defensive, and released information they said supported their account.
- President and senior federal officials defended the enforcement operation, while some congressional Democrats threatened to withhold or condition DHS funding pending accountability and reforms.
Community and civil rights groups
- Protesters returned to the streets in freezing temperatures, chanting for removal of ICE and Border Patrol from Minneapolis and demanding independent investigations. Demonstrations spread to other U.S. cities as calls for accountability grew.
- Civil liberties organizations and local advocates criticized the federal surge and raised concerns about transparency, the use of crowd-control tactics, and civil rights implications for residents and demonstrators.
Investigations and legal maneuvering
State and federal jurisdictions are clashing over control of the evidence and investigative authority. The federal government has said it will lead the inquiry in this case, as it did in prior ICE-related shootings, while state officials say they are being blocked from full access. Prosecutors and civil authorities have taken steps to preserve material, collect bystander footage, and solicit community submissions of evidence.
Investigators will prioritize:
- establishing the precise sequence of actions by agents and the man who was shot, including the handling of any weapon
- identifying which officers fired and the number and timing of rounds
- preserving and analyzing video, radio transmissions, body-camera or tactical-camera footage, and witness statements
- forensic analysis of the scene and any recovered firearms or ballistic evidence
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{
"timeline": [
{"2026-01-07": "Ren e9e Good, fatal shooting involving ICE"},
{"2026-01-14": "Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, non-fatal shooting, officer injured"},
{"2026-01-24": "Alex Pretti, fatal shooting by Border Patrol agent"}
]
}
```
Questions that remain open
- Who had physical control of any firearm, and at what exact moment were shots first fired?
- Which agent or agents fired, and does ballistic and forensic analysis match their weapons to the rounds recovered?
- Why were state investigators initially denied access to the scene, and what evidence, if any, may have been lost or altered while the scene was held by federal personnel?
- Will federal and state prosecutors coordinate, and if not, how will transparency and public confidence be assured?
Multiple viewpoints, and why they matter
Local officials and many witnesses argue the video evidence undermines the federal narrative, showing a man who was not an immediate threat. Federal officials say their officers faced danger and acted to protect themselves and others. Both positions matter because criminal investigations hinge on precise facts, and public trust depends on clarity about how those facts are collected and reviewed.
Community safety, civil liberties, and the rules that govern federal operations inside American cities are all at stake. For residents who have watched a rapid succession of confrontations this month, this is not just legal parsing, it is lived experience: people report fear of daily life being disrupted, and families demand answers.
What to watch next
- Official investigators, federal and state, will release more details as ballistic, medical, and video analyses are completed
- Court actions and preservation orders may determine which agencies can access or control evidence
- Local, state, and federal political leaders will likely escalate calls for policy or budget changes tied to DHS and ICE authority
As this story develops, the factual record will be built on forensic reports, videos, and witness testimony. For now, the competing narratives underscore a deep national debate about the role of federal agents inside U.S. cities, how force is used, and how accountability is secured when civilians die in law-enforcement encounters.
(Reporting for this article drew on contemporaneous accounts and official statements from local and federal authorities, as well as bystander video and family interviews.)