Where things stand
• Deadly shooting: A man the Department of Homeland Security said was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis has been named as 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
• Footage from scene: The DHS said federal agents were acting in self-defense, claiming Pretti “violently resisted” their attempts to disarm him. CNN video analysis appears to show a federal officer had taken a gun away from him prior to the shooting.
• Restraining order: A Minnesota judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying evidence from the incident. Minnesota authorities have sued the Trump administration, claiming its officials “took from the scene” of the shooting and prevented state officials from inspecting.
• Tensions rise: Protesters were already marching in Minneapolis. Authorities used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse an angry crowd confronting agents after the shooting. Saturday marked the third shooting by federal agents in the city in less than a month, coming after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good on January 7.
A look at the conflicting accounts of yesterday's fatal shooting
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and officials in Minnesota have given different accounts of the events surrounding yesterday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
Almost immediately after the shooting was first reported, a DHS official said that the victim “had a firearm with two magazines.” Shortly afterwards, the department said that federal agents had shot Pretti in self-defense, saying an “armed suspect violently resisted” their attempts to disarm him.
The DHS said agents were conducting a targeted operation against an undocumented immigrant “wanted for violent assault,” when an “individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the DHS’ recounting of the incident “nonsense” and “lies,” saying that he watched footage of the shooting.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also said that he had watched video of the incident, describing seeing “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death.”
CNN analysis of footage of the shooting appears to show a federal immigration officer removing a gun from Pretti just prior to officers fatally shooting him. A witness has also said that Pretti did not resist or reach for a gun.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Danya Gainor, Thomas Bordeaux, Yahya Abou-Ghazala and Casey Tolan contributed to this reporting.
"Freedom is not free": Alex Pretti honored veteran at hospital with final salute last year
A video from December 2024 has surfaced showing Alex Pretti giving a tribute to a veteran who died from lung cancer at a VA hospital in Minneapolis.
The video was shared by Mac Randolph, the son of the late veteran. In a post on Facebook had said he originally had not planned on sharing the video, but felt that Pretti’s “speech is very on point.”
Watch the moment here:
In his Facebook post, Randolph added that his father “would be honored in Alex’s sacrifice and ashamed of this current administration.”
“In my dad’s words I encourage you all to continue to ‘fight the good fight.’” he wrote.
Another Minneapolis citizen has been been shot dead by federal agents. Here's what we know
Federal agents in the city of Minneapolis yesterday shot dead 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and senior White House aide Stephen Miller blamed Pretti for the outcome that led to his shooting, claiming he was armed and that officers shot him in self-defense.
CNN analysis of video taken before the shooting appears to show a federal immigration officer removing a gun from Pretti just prior to officers fatally shooting him. A witness has also said that Pretti did not resist or reach for a gun.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what we know about the shooting so far and the reaction to it:
- Pretti, an ICU nurse, was a lawful gun owner with a permit, Minneapolis police said. He began participating in protests against immigration enforcement in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good earlier this month, family members told the Associated Press.
- In a statement, Pretti’s parents said that he was trying to protect a woman near ICE officers when he was wrestled to the ground and subsequently shot. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” they said, adding that “he was a good man.”
- DHS said that Pretti was armed and that he “violently resisted” attempts by federal law enforcement officers to disarm him, leading to an agent firing “defensive shots.” Miller claimed without evidence that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law endorsement.”
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the shooting, a source in the governor’s office told CNN. Describing the DHS’ recounting of the incident as “nonsense” and “lies,” Walz called on President Donald Trump to remove ICE from Minnesota. “They are sowing chaos and violence,” he said.
- Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described watching ICE agents “pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death” in a video of the incident. “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” he asked.
- A federal judge in Minnesota granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to Pretti’s fatal shooting. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday, 2pm CT in St. Paul.
- Pretti’s killing reignited protests in Minneapolis over federal authorities’ tactics while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Rachel Sayre, director of Minneapolis’ emergency management department, has said the surge in federal agents in the city is having “profound repercussions.”
CNN’s Jeff Winter, Rob Kuznia, Betsy Klein, Kit Maher, Dana Bash, Danya Gainor, Tori B. Powell and Issy Ronald contributed to this reporting.
Friends and family say Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse dedicated to helping others
Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old man killed by federal immigration agents yesterday, worked as a nurse treating sick veterans, according to family, friends and colleagues – a reflection of his deep desire to help others, they said.
Pretti worked as an Intensive Care Unit nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center for around five years, according to a co-worker who asked to speak anonymously.
Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, Chief of Infectious Diseases Section at the Minneapolis VA, wrote on Bluesky that he was “a good, kind person who lived to help.” Drekonja said Pretti supported critically ill veterans at the hospital. The co-worker said Pretti researched how to prevent veterans from dying from colon cancer.
Pretti graduated from high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2006, according to CNN affiliate Spectrum News. Pretti put himself through nursing school by working at the VA hospital and joined its staff after graduating, Pretti’s co-worker said.
He was fatally shot while immigration agents wrestled him on the ground in Minneapolis; the Department of Homeland Security said officers took a handgun from Pretti at the scene and fired in self-defense. CNN analysis of video shows a federal agent removed the gun just before the shooting. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” the agency said in a statement.
Read more here.
Judge grants temporary restraining order to protect evidence in fatal shooting of Alex Pretti
A federal judge in Minnesota has granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis.
US District Judge Eric Tostrud issued an order on Saturday evening barring federal defendants – including the Department of Homeland Security and federal immigration agencies – from destroying or altering any evidence related to the shooting.
This includes evidence allegedly removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody, the order said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office requested the order after suing the Trump administration earlier Saturday.
CNN has reached out to DHS and the US Justice Department for comment on the lawsuit and the allegations made by Minnesota authorities.
A court hearing is scheduled for Monday, 2pm CT in St. Paul.
The ruling marks an early legal victory for state officials seeking to preserve evidence and assert oversight of the investigation into the deadly encounter involving federal officers.
Witness says Alex Pretti didn't resist or reach for a gun before shooting in new court filing
A witness to Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis described watching a man – later identified as Alex Pretti – be shot by a federal agent after trying to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed, saying he did not resist or reach for a gun, according to a new filing in a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by protesters in December.
“I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong,” the unnamed witness said in the Saturday filing. “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.”
The Department of Homeland Security said earlier that Border Patrol officers attempted to disarm an armed man who had approached them, and an agent fired defensive shots when the man “violently resisted.” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed the man was trying to “massacre law enforcement.”
The witness said Pretti was observing and helping to direct traffic around a convoy of federal vehicles before he and the witness moved closer to document the immigration activity with their phones. When an agent asked them to back up, the witness said they moved onto the sidewalk, but Pretti stayed in the street and filmed.
Pretti moved closer to two other observers in the street as they were threatened with pepper spray and one was pushed to the ground, the witness said. An agent sprayed all three of them in the face, the witness said. Pretti put his hands above his head and was sprayed again and pushed by the agent.
Pretti then tried to help the woman who was pushed to the ground before being grabbed by multiple agents and pulled to the ground, the witness said.
”I didn’t see him touch any of them – he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun,” they wrote. “Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.”
CNN has reached out to lawyers for the witnesses and DHS for comment on the new filings.
Vigils held across the Twin Cities to remember Alex Pretti
People gathered across Minneapolis and St. Paul yesterday evening for candlelit vigils remembering Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a federal agent.
They attended vigils situated near Summit Avenue and Lexington Parkway in St. Paul as well as in the Linden Hills neighborhood and near Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, according to CNN affiliate WCCO.
Wrapped up against the cold, they held candles and bowed their heads in remembrance.
Pretti’s killing also reignited protests in Minneapolis over federal authorities’ tactics while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Saturday marked the third shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than a month, coming after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good on January 7.
Minneapolis pediatrician faults federal agents for not starting CPR on Alex Pretti in new court filing
A Minneapolis pediatrician described watching a man – later identified as Alex Pretti – be shot by a federal agent on Saturday and criticized the federal officers at the scene for not checking the man’s pulse or beginning to perform CPR, according to a new filing in a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by protesters in December.
“Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the (federal immigration) agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds,” a 29-year-old Minneapolis resident who says they are a licensed pediatrician said in a sworn declaration filed Saturday.
The pediatrician reported witnessing the shooting from the window of their apartment and described seeing federal agents shove a man who appeared to be unarmed to the ground and point their guns at him before shots were fired.
“Initially, I was stunned. From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers,” the pediatrician said.
The Department of Homeland Security said earlier that Border Patrol officers attempted to disarm an armed man who had approached them, and an agent fired defensive shots when the man “violently resisted.” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed the man was trying to “massacre law enforcement.”
After hurrying to the scene, the pediatrician said they were a doctor and asked federal agents to let them assess the man. The pediatrician said agents first asked for a physician’s license, but an agent eventually allowed access to the man.
The pediatrician said they saw the man surrounded by several federal agents with “at least three bullet wounds in his back” and was confused to see the man lying on his side because “that is not standard practice” for a person who has been shot.
When the man was turned onto his back, the pediatrician said they saw a gunshot wound to his chest and another to his neck. They found no pulse, and immediately began CPR until emergency services arrived.
“I do not feel safe in my city,” the pediatrician added, according to the filing. “In less than one month, ICE agents have shot and killed two people for protesting and observing their actions. I worry that I or someone I love will be shot and killed for voicing their displeasure and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
CNN has reached out to lawyers for the witnesses and DHS for comment on the new filings.
Protests against ICE take place across the US
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti yesterday reignited protests against immigration crackdowns in several cities across the country.
Demonstrations stretched from New York, where people could be seen holding placard banners calling for the abolishment of ICE, to Los Angeles, where a candlelight vigil was held.
Analysis: Another killing by a federal officer deepens Trump’s self-inflicted political nightmare
President Donald Trump and his administration this week seemed to belatedly come to the realization that their Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis are going poorly.
Trump appeared at a briefing Tuesday and bemoaned his team’s messaging. He and Vice President JD Vance began to acknowledge that ICE has been making or will make “mistakes.”
CNN reported Friday that it was all born of a fear that the issue was getting away from them — a fear that is certainly backed up by polling.
What Trump and his team notably did not do, though, was signal any real shift in the tactics that have landed them in their predicament.
And now the situation risks truly spiraling out of control — both on the ground and politically speaking.
The fatal shooting of another person — 37-year-old Alex Pretti — by a federal agent in Minneapolis in many ways conjures the episode two and a half weeks ago when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. It also comes amid a snowballing series of politically problematic moves that suggest things are only getting worse for the administration.
It remains to be seen how the country will react to Pretti’s killing. But what’s clear is that Americans are very much predisposed to believe ICE goes too far. And the details suggest we could be seeing a repeat of what followed in the aftermath of Good’s killing, when already-negative views of ICE hardened and expanded.
Read the full story here.
Trump-friendly gun rights groups slam efforts to prematurely blame man shot by federal agents
Efforts by senior White House officials to castigate a lawful gun owner who was fatally shot by federal agents have been complicated by Trump-friendly gun rights groups speaking out on the incident.
The National Rifle Association, a prominent gun rights organization, weighed in on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents Saturday, condemning a Trump appointee’s apparent attempt to pre-judge the case.
Bill Essayli, who serves as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles posted on X: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!”
In response to the post, the NRA wrote that Essayli’s comments were “dangerous and wrong,” adding “responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
The organization Gun Owners of America posted a similar reply: “The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” while also noting progressives should stop antagonizing immigration agents.
The condemnations by major gun rights groups are notable as they run counter to the quick efforts by senior Trump officials to blame Pretti for his death.
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said on Saturday, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
At no point in any of the videos reviewed by CNN can Pretti be seen wielding a weapon.
The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
