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MINNEAPOLIS — Federal law enforcement officers fatally shot a man in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, marking the second deadly encounter involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city in less than three weeks, authorities and officials said.
According to local officials and federal statements, the shooting occurred near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue South, where ICE officers from the Department of Homeland Security were conducting operations linked to a broader immigration enforcement surge. Minnesota city authorities said in a statement they were “aware of reports of another shooting involving federal law enforcement” and urged the public to remain calm and avoid the area as details continue to emerge.
The victim was shot multiple times at near point-blank range and later died at a hospital. A DHS spokesperson confirmed that the suspect was armed with a firearm and that two magazines were recovered at the scene. The spokesperson also said officers attempted to disarm him before shots were fired. Investigators are still piecing together the sequence of events that led to the deadly encounter.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the victim was a 37-year-old white male who lived in Minneapolis and is believed to be an American citizen.
He was later identified as Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and an ICU nurse at a local VA hospital.
The Star Tribune reports that after the shooting, ICE agents moved to restrict local law enforcement access to the scene — but Chief Brian O’Hara stepped in, ordering officers to preserve the site to protect evidence.
The shooting is the latest in a series of violent clashes between federal immigration agents and residents in Minneapolis:
- On Jan. 7, a federal ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, sparking nationwide protests over the presence and conduct of federal enforcement officers.
- Less than two weeks later, federal officers shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during a separate encounter amid protests.
Those earlier incidents have already heightened political backlash and spurred public protests, with demonstrators demanding the withdrawal of federal agents from the city and state. Saturday’s fatal shooting intensifies concerns and has elicited fresh condemnation from politicians across Minnesota and beyond.
While details remain preliminary, video photos posted online appear to show federal ICE agents detaining a Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning as he filmed their immigration enforcement action, before a fight ensued, one agent then disarmed him of his legally owned SIG Sauer P320, moments before he was fatally shot multiple times.
It remains unclear what prompted the melee to turn fatal.
Beyond concern for law enforcement and anger over the loss of life, the predominant online reaction was that the footage raised enough questions to justify a deeper investigation.
The most recent polling shows that a majority of U.S. voters view ICE negatively following intensified and controversial immigration enforcement actions, including fatal encounters during operations in Minneapolis. About 57% to 63% of voters disapprove of how ICE is handling its job, and over 60% believe the agency has gone “too far” in its tactics.
The situation on the ground remains highly volatile.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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The article “The most recent polling shows that a majority of U.S. voters view ICE negatively following…” I haven’t been asked and I’m in favor of upholding immigration law and ICE. How many other conservatives have been left out of the poll? The election showed a vast majority of voters supported closing the border and throwing out the illegals.
The Illegal 5 year old child was left behind a car that the father or child fled from and abandoned his child to avoid arrest. People who use a vehicle bring an armed weapon with two magazines to a protest even if they are an American in order to threaten or harm ICE operations is a fool and an idiot. It is against the law to interfere with Federal Officers carrying out the enforcement of Federal Law. Water cannons would clear a street real fast in an obstruction to carry out law enforcement operation especially in cold temperatures. The idea of protecting illegals who have committed crimes who come here unvetted with criminal backgrounds are not people who deserve even the consideration of citizenship. Those here who will not assimilate into the US culture and adherence to Laws of this country should get out now. This is the whole underpinning of America by foreign activists. Those who have been encouraged and trained to interfere with ICE operations do so at your peril. It is a federal crime to impede and obstruct the enforcement of US Federal Laws and the Supremacy Clause takes precedent over any State Law, Local laws, or municipal statues.
Americans/American voters have to be the most ignorant dopes in the world! Definitely in the U.S. All but the so-called MAGA people don’t have the slightest idea what the democrap party stands for today and their heinous intentions regarding the United States.