What we know so far
• Deadly shooting: Sources say the Minneapolis man shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent today has been identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, whose parents told the AP he worked as an ICU nurse.
• Clashing narratives: The Department of Homeland Security said the man had a handgun and “violently resisted” when agents tried to disarm him. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said videos show that account to be “nonsense” and “lies.” During the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, DHS statements have at times been contradicted by bystander video and questioned in courts.
• State response: Minnesota investigators say federal officials are impeding their access to evidence, despite Walz’s demand the state lead an investigation into the shooting. Meanwhile, the Minnesota National Guard is bringing in more resources as officials brace for further unrest.
• Tensions inflamed: Anti-ICE protesters were already marching in Minneapolis today despite frigid temperatures. Authorities used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse an angry crowd confronting agents after the shooting.
Protesters gather in Manhattan after fatal shooting of Minneapolis man
A group of what appears to be hundreds of protesters has gathered in Manhattan in response to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent earlier today.
The demonstration is peaceful and starting to spill into the street. Demonstrators are gathered in Union Square and have begun to march, some holding signs that read, “abolish ICE,” and “stop ICE terror.”
Crowds still gathering in Minneapolis following shooting
Large crowds are continuing to converge at the site of Saturday morning’s shooting in the hours after the latest violence involving federal agents rocked Minneapolis.
At the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and W 26th Street, south of the heart of the city, demonstrators are bundled up along the chilly streets cheering and chanting “ICE out of Minneapolis,” as they wave American flags and handmade posters, banging on overturned trash cans.
Demonstrators are celebrating their successful efforts to push agents out of the area this morning but fury remains as another Minnesotan was shot dead by federal law enforcement.
Further up Nicollet Avenue, a somber mood has swept the crowd paying their respects in a large circle around the spot on the sidewalk where the Minneapolis man was shot and killed this morning.
Detainees hold demonstration at Texas ICE facility where Liam Conejo Ramos and his father are being held
Detainees inside the grounds of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dilley, Texas, held a demonstration today, according to video shared by attorney Eric Lee, who was trying to visit clients at the center.
It’s unclear whether the demonstration is connected to 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who are being held at that same facility after being brought there from Minneapolis earlier in the week.
In videos obtained by CNN that were filmed from outside the facility, people are heard chanting, “Let us out,” and shouting. Lee said he was ordered to leave the area.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about today’s demonstration.
Minnesota investigators gather evidence and talk to witnesses despite no contact with DHS, state bureau says
Investigators with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are talking with witnesses and gathering evidence, including various video footage, from the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents today despite having no contact with the federal government, said Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent.
The Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation and has not responded to the BCA’s attempts to get in contact with them, Evans said at a news conference.
“I attempted to contact the individual that I was told was the overall commander at the scene, and I have not received a call back from them,” said Evans. Investigators with the BCA were not able to conduct any work at the shooting site once they had access, “because it was quickly overrun and overtaken,” he added.
The bureau will continue to compile evidence in connection with today’s shooting, Evans said. “If and when it’s prudent and we need to, we can always return at a different time if there’s relevant evidence at the scene,” he said.
The location of the federal agents involved in the Minneapolis shooting is unknown, BCA chief says
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state’s principal criminal investigative agency, said at a Saturday news conference he does not yet know the location of the federal agents involved in the incident, highlighting how the situation has thrust authorities into “uncharted territory.”
Evans explained historically, the bureau — which conducts more than 80% of officer-involved shooting investigations — would usually lead or co-lead such probes but recently, clear processes around federal agent shootings have not been established.
Acknowledging the significant hurdles facing the investigation surrounding the latest federal agent-involved shooting in Minneapolis, Evans said there remains uncertainty about how the investigative process will move forward.
Minnesota investigators with warrant blocked from crime scene again before it was overrun by protestors, state bureau says
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Force Investigations Unit was denied access to Saturday’s shooting scene by the Department of Homeland Security for a second time after the team secured a search warrant, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said at a Saturday news conference.
Once FBI officials left after evaluating the crime scene, state and local police were unable to hold that scene and it was overrun by protestors, preventing the BCA from conducting its own examination, Evans said.
Evans said it will be difficult to obtain evidence and information about the incident without federal cooperation.
”I’m aware, and our team is aware, of the videos that you’ve seen, and we welcome additional information provided to our team going forward that will continue a full investigation to the best of our ability with what we have,” he said.
Getting evidence on today’s shooting “will be difficult” without cooperation, official says
As an investigation is underway into today’s shooting, getting evidence on the incident without cooperation from the federal government “will be difficult,” according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state’s principal criminal investigative agency.
Despite years of cooperation between law enforcement agencies at different levels of government, “We’re in uncharted territory,” Evans said at a Saturday news conference.
Hennepin County Sheriff requests National Guard support at Whipple Federal Building to reallocate resources
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office has requested support from the Minnesota National Guard at the Whipple Federal Building so it can reallocate its deputies to other areas of the county needing support, due to potential growing conflict following today’s fatal shooting involving federal agents.
The guard members are needed to “assist the Sheriff’s Office in protecting life, preserving property, and helping to ensure the safety of all community members,” the sheriff’s office said on X, emphasizing their presence is meant to “create a secure environment where all Minnesotans can exercise their rights safely.”
The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building has served as the backdrop for the ongoing tense dance in the Twin Cities since federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good earlier this month. Its stark brick structure is home base for the immigration proceedings at the heart of the crackdown in the state.
Minneapolis Mayor Frey defiant after another fatal shooting by immigration officers
In the moments after Renee Good was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a combative message. “To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis,” he said.
A little more than two weeks later, as Frey responded to another killing of a Minneapolis resident by federal agents, he was similarly defiant.
This time, even as he pleaded with President Donald Trump to “act like a leader,” Frey also aimed his message at the American public.
“To everyone listening: Stand with Minneapolis. Stand up for America,” Frey said at a news conference today.
“Recognize that your children will ask you what side you were on. Your grandchildren will ask what you did to act to prevent this from happening again.”
Frey, a 44-year-old third-term Democratic mayor who represents the moderate wing of the party in the overwhelmingly blue city where progressives control the council, rocketed into the national spotlight with his response to Good’s killing.
The Trump administration and Republicans have sought to focus the blame for weeks of conflicts between ICE agents and those protesting their presence in the Twin Cities on local Democratic leaders and on the actions of protesters.
“I’m done being told that our community members are responsible for the vitriol in our streets. I’m done being told that our local elected officials are solely responsible for turning down the temperature,” he said.
Frey has at times urged protesters to remain peaceful and heed the directions of local police. A week after Good’s killing, he warned against “taking the bait” as protests grew confrontational in the wake of a second ICE shooting.
US Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed the man immigration agents shot and killed approached agents with a handgun on Saturday.
“The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted,” Bovino said, claiming a Border Patrol agent “fired defensive shots.”
But as videos of the incident emerged, Frey offered a much different analysis of what had unfolded.
He described watching a video of “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death.”
Frey said blame for the violence lies with the Trump administration.
“The invasion of these heavily armed masked agents roaming around on our streets of Minneapolis, emboldened with a sense of impunity – it has to end,” he said.
Man fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis identified as Alex Pretti, sources say
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, is the man fatally shot by federal officers Saturday morning, state and federal law enforcement officials told CNN.
Pretti’s parents identified him as an ICU nurse to the Associated Press.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara at a news conference Saturday did not identify the man other than to say he was a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident who police “believe” is a US citizen. DHS alleged he “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him, and an agent shot him in self-defense.
Walz calls preliminary DHS account of shooting "nonsense" and "lies"
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the Department of Homeland Security’s recounting of the events that led to a Minneapolis man being shot and killed this morning “nonsense” and “lies,” after watching video of the incident.
“What I see with my eyes and what you’re going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe,” he said during a Saturday news conference. “I’ve seen the videos from several angles, and it’s sickening.”
DHS 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.”
Walz said DHS made it sound as though the federal agents “took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It’s nonsense.”
Throughout the course of Trump’s immigration surge around the country, statements made by DHS in the immediate aftermath of use-of-force incidents have at times been contradicted by bystander video and questioned by courts.
“Thank God we have video,” Walz said. He encouraged Minnesotans to continue peacefully exercising their right to protest and document federal operations.
Attorney General Bondi says several federal agencies are on their way to Minneapolis
Attorney General Pam Bondi said several federal agencies are on their way to Minneapolis to provide support to ICE officers amid the “fluid situation” in the area.
“I know all of my federal agencies are coming in right now to support and back up Homeland Security, we have DEA, we have ATF, we have all of, FBI, of course, all of my agencies doing what they can to keep the citizens safe if Walz won’t do it,” Bondi told Fox News.
Bondi said she had not spoken to President Donald Trump this morning but that her office sent a “very strong letter” to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz calling on him to support the president and law enforcement officials.
“We had been working on this letter. We got it out saying that he better support President Trump, he better support the men and women in law enforcement because of he doesn’t we are and that is what we are doing right now,” Bondi said.
The attorney general blamed local officials for the situation in Minneapolis while Gov. Walz has accused federal law enforcement of sowing chaos.
FBI director says 4 more people arrested for allegedly destroying an agency car earlier this month
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Saturday that four more people were arrested for allegedly damaging an FBI vehicle and stealing “multiple items” earlier this month in Minneapolis.
The arrests, made late Friday and early Saturday, come amid widespread protests in the Minneapolis area against the Trump administration’s deployment of federal agents to Minnesota for an immigration crackdown.
The alleged damage and stealing occurred on January 14. The Justice Department previously charged a man in connection to the January 14 incident, alleging that he broke into an FBI car and stole a rifle.
In the aftermath of the incident, the FBI offered up to $100,000 for information on the several FBI vehicles that were vandalized, broken into and had property taken from them.
On January 14, a CNN crew saw two vehicles that appeared ransacked and vandalized. One car was seen with “F**k ICE” painted on it, while another had “America land of the obey or die” written on it. The photos the FBI shared at the time showed similar phrases painted in red on the vehicles.
CNN’s Holmes Lybrand and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
Minnesota Timberwolves game postponed in wake of shooting
The National Basketball Association has postponed today’s scheduled game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors at Target Center in Minneapolis. The league says the decision was made “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community.”
Target Center is located about 1.5 miles from the location of today’s fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent, which came amid weeks of unrest over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities.
The NBA has rescheduled the game for 5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.
Court rejects DOJ appeal on Don Lemon arrest warrant, government could still seek grand jury indictment
A federal appeals court declined to order a judge to sign an arrest for journalist Don Lemon for his actions at a protest inside a Minnesota church, court documents show.
The ruling, which was unsealed Saturday, referenced the Department of Justice’s attempts to arrest eight individuals allegedly involved in the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest that disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A magistrate judge only approved three of the eight arrests, court records show. A person familiar with the matter said that Lemon is one of the five whose arrest warrants were declined.
One of the judges on the panel, Judge Leonard Steven Grasz, wrote in a concurrence that the Justice Department “clearly establish[ed] probable cause for all five arrest warrants,” but “failed to establish that it has no other adequate means” of obtaining them.
Lemon, a former CNN host who now makes content independently, has said that he was present at the demonstration as a journalist and not as a protester.
“They’re going to try again, and they’re going to try again.
And guess what? Here I am,” Lemon said on his YouTube show Thursday night.
“Keep trying. That’s not gonna stop me from being a journalist. You’re not gonna diminish my voice.”
Prosecutors can still attempt to obtain another criminal complaint and arrest warrant, or can seek a grand jury indictment.
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is “engaged and involved” in investigating shooting, official said
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is “engaged and involved” in investigating today’s fatal incident, according to Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the state’s Department of Public Safety.
“We’re available,” he said at a news conference. “We want to make sure that we continue to work on this and engage with with our federal law enforcement.”
Bovino claims man was trying to "massacre law enforcement" before he was shot and killed
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino accused the man killed by federal agents Saturday morning of trying to “massacre law enforcement,” although it’s unclear whether the man was holding a weapon at the time he was shot.
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino said.
Minneapolis police have said the man was a lawful gun owner with a permit. The Department of Homeland Security has said he was armed and that agents fired “defensive shots” after trying to disarm him.
Asked if the man had pulled a weapon before he was shot, Bovino said, “This situation is evolving. Those facts will come to light.”
Federal officials have "written a narrative already," Gov. Walz says
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Saturday federal officials have “written a narrative already” about the fatal shooting of a man in Minneapolis this morning by a federal agent.
“We can’t live like this,” he said. “Our children are in trauma.”
Walz rejected the “rush to judgement” after the shooting. “They already will slander this individual. They’ve already made this the case,” he said.
Walz referenced several videos of the shooting, which show multiple federal agents wrestling a man to the ground. The Department of Homeland Security has said the man was armed and an agent fired “defensive shots.”
Walz called for “a fair investigation, understanding what’s happening.”
Minnesota state investigations unit blocked by DHS from accessing shooting scene, bureau says
The Department of Homeland Security did not allow the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Force Investigations Unit to access the scene of today’s shooting that killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis, the bureau said in a post on X.
“Our agents and crime scene personnel attempted to access the location but were blocked by @DHSgov personnel at the scene,” BCA said.
Minneapolis police requested the BCA unit to assist with investigating the shooting, according to the bureau.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara earlier told CNN that federal agents also attempted to block his officers from responding, but he ordered them to remain on scene.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has urged federal officials to allow the state to take the lead in investigating the shooting.
National Guard is bringing “more resources” to Minnesota, official says
“More resources” are being mobilized to Minnesota after a man was fatally shot in the state today, according to Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard.
“We are bringing more resources that will be able to respond in a timely manner that are not fully mobilized yet, but we are mobilizing more soldiers as we talk at this time,” Manke said at a Saturday news conference.
He went on to say National Guard members have been on active duty for more than a week in the state.
“We’ve had soldiers prepared in the metro area to respond in a much rapid manner than if they were not mobilized,” Manke said.
