What we covered here
• Minnesota shooting: The shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti marked the second time a Minneapolis resident has been killed by federal officers this month, deepening outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
• New details emerge: Federal officials have declined to provide critical details supporting their claim the agent shot Pretti in self-defense. Meanwhile, witness statements and video shed new light on the incident, and at least two agents involved appeared to have worn body cams, suggesting there could be more footage that hasn’t been made public yet. Read CNN’s fact check of the administration’s claims.
• Political turmoil: President Donald Trump blamed Democrat policies after the shooting while lawmakers, including some Republicans, are calling for an investigation. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino also sparred with critics on social media, saying “attacking law enforcement is not a right like you want it to be,” among other comments.
Our ongoing coverage of events in Minneapolis has now moved here
Mood in Minneapolis is “sad and devastated” after Alex Pretti’s killing, local reporter says
The death of a second Minneapolis resident at the hands of federal immigration agents is having an impact on the mood in the streets, according to a local reporter who’s been covering protests in the city in recent weeks.
“It feels like people … are still feeling just sad and devastated over another loss of a community member,” Casey Marble, a video reporter for the Minnesota Daily, told CNN’s Pamela Brown.
Marble said prior protests carried “a very angry mood towards ICE,” but he saw “a level of devastation that I hadn’t seen as of yet” as residents in the streets were mourning Alex Pretti’s death Saturday.
Despite the shift in mood and increased fear among some residents after another fatal shooting, Marble said he thinks it also “makes people more determined,” describing a conversation with a man at a vigil Saturday who said Pretti’s death is what made him decide to finally join his fellow residents in the streets.
“I think that’s the sentiment that most of the city is feeling right now … another call to action,” Marble said.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the name of the Minnesota Daily.
Minnesota police organization requests meeting with Trump over public safety concerns
The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) has requested a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss public safety concerns in Minnesota.
“Minnesota’s law enforcement officers are facing growing challenges in fulfilling their core responsibilities of protecting life, enforcing the law, and serving communities in accordance with constitutional principles,” it said in a press release posted on X.
The MCPA said it is looking to have a “constructive and timely” dialogue as law enforcement professionals operate in “complex, high-pressure environments.”
Trump officials are concerned about the scenes playing out in Minnesota but don’t have plans to change its posture and ICE will remain in the state, sources familiar have said.
One of the key lines of attack the White House is coalescing around is that ICE’s operations in other states are not being met with the type of protests that agents are facing on the ground in Minneapolis. It argued that its local leaders are fueling the turmoil.
The association represents approximately 700 current and retired law enforcement and public safety leaders, according to its website.
"Mere presence of a firearm" is not evidence of criminal intent, gun rights group says
Gun rights advocacy group National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) hit back at DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s claim that Alex Pretti “brandished” a weapon before he was fatally shot.
Noem had said Pretti “impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers.”
But video analyzed by CNN so far does not show Pretti acting violently or holding the handgun that a federal officer removed from his waistband seconds before he was killed. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara had said Pretti was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
NAGR’s comments follow the National Rifle Association’s condemnation of a Trump appointee’s apparent attempt to pre-judge the case.
Bill Essayli, who serves as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, had 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, 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.”
Blaming Alex Pretti for his own death is a “disgusting mischaracterization,” Minnesota secretary of state says
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon rejected the version of events being offered by top Trump administration officials after Saturday’s fatal shooting of an ICU nurse by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, calling attempts to blame 37-year-old Alex Pretti for his own death a “disgusting mischaracterization.”
Simon, a Democrat, was responding to comments from Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, who earlier told CNN that Border Patrol agents – not Pretti – are the victims in Saturday’s deadly shooting.
Simon cast the comments as part of a pattern since thousands of federal agents launched President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities last month.
“Time after time after time, as to this Minneapolis surge, we have seen just outright mischaracterization and lying by those at the very top,” Simon told CNN’s Pamela Brown Sunday night.
Minnesota officials would be more supportive of federal immigration efforts if they were truly about public safety and targeted “the worst of the worst.”
But that’s not what’s happening, Simon said. “They’re in Costco, they’re in Target, they’re at gas stations, they’re at churches, they’re in schools. This seems like an aimless dragnet that is designed to instill fear.”
Simon said the American people deserve a honest investigation into Pretti’s death and called for federal authorities to reestablish longstanding cooperation with state and local investigators that he says has been “completely severed” in recent weeks.
Minnesota Democrats reject Trump administration's request to turn over voter rolls
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rejected the Trump administration’s request to repeal so-called sanctuary policies and share Medicaid, food assistance and voter data with the federal government to “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota.”
“It’s not a serious attempt,” Walz said earlier Sunday during a news conference.
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Walz on Saturday urging him to repeal sanctuary policies and to allow the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to access the state’s voter rolls.
President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterated the demands, calling for Minnesota Democrats “to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
Other state officials criticized the letter, with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon calling it “deeply disturbing.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis, wrote in a post, “This was never about immigration or fraud. It was always about rigging elections.”
The Democratic National Committee also accused Noem of “attempting to extort” voter rolls from Minnesota.
GOP senators join growing group of Republicans calling for investigation into Alex Pretti's death
Two Republican senators have joined a growing group of GOP lawmakers in calling for an investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse who was fatally shot by a federal agent yesterday.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick wrote on social media Sunday evening that “irresponsible rhetoric and a lack of cooperation from Minnesota’s politicians are fueling a dangerous situation,” but that he agreed with others that “we need a full investigation into the tragedy in Minneapolis.”
Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts called the shooting a “horrifying situation” and said he expects “a prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident.”
“Enforcing our immigration laws makes our streets safer. It also protects our national security. But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble,” he wrote on X.
Border Patrol commander spars with critics across the aisle on social media
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino spent part of Sunday sparring with critics on social media as the Department of Homeland Security faces increasing bipartisan questions about the actions of its agents and public comments by agency leaders following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” wrote GOP Congressman Thomas Massie on X, “and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.”
In a terse reply, Bovino’s official account said: “Attacking law enforcement is not a right like you want it to be.”
Texas Democratic State Rep. and US Senate candidate James Talarico posted:
“They shot Renee Good in the face. They kidnapped Liam Ramos. They just executed a man on the street.” Talarico said agents he described as “secret police” should be prosecuted.
“Still spreading lies and fueling violence I see,” Bovino responded.
Louisiana GOP Senator Bill Cassidy posted on X: “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”
In reply, Bovino said: “The same state that refuses to work with ICE is now going to ‘investigate’? How about investigating a certain mayor who told cops to fight ICE in the streets. You don’t seem concerned about that — how come, senator?”
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen calls for Noem's impeachment
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in response to recent Immigration and Customers Enforcement incidents and the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Rosen slammed Noem as “either too incompetent” to oversee ICE or as an advocate of “blatant constitutional violations.”
Some background: The call comes just a day after Rosen said she would vote against a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, calling for more reforms to DHS and ICE.
Rosen, who is seen as a moderate in the chamber, is one of the eight senators who voted with Republicans on the spending bill that reopened the government after 43 days last year.
Minnesota labor union, chamber of commerce call for authorities' cooperation on immigration policy
Minnesota’s largest public safety labor union is calling for local, state and federal officials to hold an emergency summit to coordinate immigration enforcement policies in the state.
Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) urged Minnesota authorities and officials at the Department of Homeland Security to restore a “functional relationship that respects each other’s distinct roles and responsibilities.”
“The lack of clarity, cooperation, communication, and coordination between federal, state, and local government is unsustainable,” LELS executive director Jim Mortenson said in a statement. “While immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, its impact is felt daily by state and local agencies and the citizens of Minnesota. When leadership fails to align, frontline officers are left to manage the consequences.”
LELS says it represents over 8,000 law enforcement officers and public safety professionals in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce echoed the labor union’s sentiment in a statement Sunday, also calling on state, local and federal officials “to work together to find real solutions.”
“In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation… to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future,” the statement, signed by more than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based businesses, said.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Why it matters that officials have claimed without offering evidence that Alex Pretti “brandished” a weapon
Federal officials have claimed Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by at least one Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis Saturday, “brandished” a firearm to officers.
“This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like that,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday.
In addition to the common meaning of the phrase, brandishing a weapon is also a criminal charge with a legal definition. A person can meet the definition of brandishing without even showing the gun, but given how quickly officials made that claim, it’s “implausible” DHS had time to do an investigation that would be thorough enough to support that claim, a policing expert said.
It is possible to “brandish” a weapon without holding it, according to Seth Stoughton, policing expert and law professor at the University of South Carolina, who responded to CNN’s questions over email.
Stoughton said he has seen no evidence to support Noem’s description that Pretti was “brandishing” the firearm and notes Noem did not provide any.
“Given the rapidity with which the statement was made, it seems highly implausible that DHS could have conducted the type of thorough investigation that would be necessary for a responsible police leader to characterize Pretti’s actions as ‘brandishing,’” he said.
Neighbor says Trump administration labeling Alex Pretti as terrorist is "brutally unfair"
Nathan Duin pushed back against the Trump administration’s labeling of Alex Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” saying his neighbor was a good person who did “everything he could to be there for other people.”
“I don’t understand why they’re trying to paint somebody who’s a good person, just a normal person, trying to build up their life as a domestic terrorist,” Duin said to MS Now.
Duin said he didn’t know Pretti all too well, but when he saw Pretti at block parties, he didn’t come across as violent or unhinged.
“So, to see him painted that way when he can’t defend himself, it’s just brutally unfair. I mean, the man is dead…let him have some dignity,” he said.
Shooting Pretti repeatedly after he was subdued and disarmed by federal agents was incomprehensible, said Duin, who blamed them for making the community unsafe.
“Everything that’s happened since they arrived has been chaos, chaos and violence and two deaths, and they’re not suspects,” he said.
At least two federal agents appear to have worn body cams during shooting incident, CNN analysis shows
At least two of the agents involved in the shooting incident with Alex Pretti on Saturday appear to have been wearing body cameras, according to CNN’s review of video, suggesting there could be additional footage of the incident that has not yet been made public.
Homeland Security officials have been collecting accounts from the scene and scrutinizing multiple videos, including any available body camera footage, of the fatal shooting, according to two US officials.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
During a news conference Sunday, Gregory Bovino, a top Border Patrol official, said that “the investigation is going to uncover all those facts, things like how many shots were fired, where were the weapons located,” when pressed by reporters on whether Pretti was brandishing a gun.
“All those facts are going to come out in the investigation,” he later added.
Vance claims ICE and CBP officers were "doxed" and "mobbed" at Minneapolis restaurant
In a social media post on X, Vice President JD Vance shared a story about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers he says were “doxed” at dinner while off-duty in Minneapolis.
“The restaurant was then mobbed,” the vice president claimed, not specifying the day. “The officers were locked in the restaurant, and local police refused to respond to their pleas for help (as they’ve been directed by local authorities). Eventually, their fellow federal agents came to their aid.”
Minneapolis police told CNN two federal agents inside a restaurant on January 19 reported “a crowd of people inside and outside the restaurant, with a few individuals harassing them while they were dining.” Police monitored the situation and “determined that the federal agents had sufficient resources available to manage the incident.”
Police said their records show the agents “and the assisting federal resources” were able to leave the area within 15 minutes of their 911 call.
A CNN reporter witnessed an interaction matching Vance’s description on January 19. Observers confronted agents as they left the restaurant after they spotted their vehicle parked outside.
CNN did not witness any violent interactions during the January 19 incident. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information.
Pressed repeatedly, Trump doesn't say whether he supports federal agent who killed Pretti
President Donald Trump declined to say Sunday whether he supported the federal law enforcement agent who fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Trump was asked twice in a five-minute interview with Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey whether the agent had done the right thing. The president, Dawsey said, “didn’t directly answer.”
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump told The Journal.
The president also indicated that his administration could eventually pull federal law enforcement officers out of Minnesota.
Legal expert calls investigation of Alex Pretti's death "highly abnormal"
As several videos showing the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis surface, so do questions about how the incident unfolded.
While federal officials have offered a different account of what happened from local and state authorities, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig broke down some questions on CNN Newsroom with anchor Jessica Dean.
Some of the answers have been edited for length and clarity.
DEAN: What is the legal standard for a federal agent to use deadly force justifiably, and was Saturday’s shooting an appropriate use of that force?
HONIG: Any time we have a use of lethal force by any law enforcement official, this is the key legal question: Did that official reasonably believe that the use of force was necessary to prevent an imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury? So, it’s a very high bar.
DEAN: Where is the line between obstructing a law enforcement operation and legally observing or protesting?
HONIG: A person is permitted to observe and video a law enforcement operation or make noise and blow whistles. If, however, a person is standing in the way of, or interfering with, the law enforcement operation, that’s over the line. If a person is obstructing, they can be physically moved using the least amount of force necessary. They can be charged with obstruction. It does not, however, open the door to assault or use of lethal force.
DEAN: Where do you see this going in terms of getting to the truth, now that there have been robust calls for an investigation and state and local authorities have sued the federal government?
HONIG: The way this normally works is you will have the involved agency, DHS, doing an internal administrative investigation. You would have an investigation for potential criminal charges. However, there are two problems. One, the feds have essentially said, “We’re not going to work with the state authorities,” which is something you would always do in these cases. And two, we’ve heard leading officials come out and make statements that A, appear to be false based on the video, and B, undermine any notion of there being a true, independent investigation. So they’ve been unclear thus far about what investigation is happening, but what’s happening here is highly abnormal.
Videos and witness statements shed new light on moments leading up to Alex Pretti shooting
Shortly before his fatal encounter with federal immigration agents on Saturday, Alex Pretti was confronted on a Minneapolis street by an officer who was later on the scene of his shooting, video analyzed by CNN shows.
That video, combined with court declarations filed by eyewitnesses, sheds new light on the moments that led up to the deadly incident.
Those moments are facing heightened scrutiny amid escalating rhetoric by Trump administration officials who sought to cast Pretti as a violent agitator involved in a “riot” as federal agents carried out an immigration operation.
“The suspect did bring a weapon, a loaded nine-millimeter high-capacity handgun, to a riot,” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino told CNN on Sunday. He claimed that Pretti “was in the scene actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement,” and that Border Patrol agents were “the victims” in the shooting.
Much remains unknown about the moments before Pretti’s death, including when he arrived at the scene and what he did before the incidents recorded on camera.
But video analyzed by CNN so far does not capture any violent actions by protesters, who blow whistles and yell at federal agents, nor does it show Pretti acting violently or holding the handgun that a federal officer removed from his waistband seconds before he was killed.
Read more about what happened before Pretti was killed here.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors speak out on Minneapolis shootings
The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Minnesota Timberwolves were expected to host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at the Target Center.
But after the latest Minnesota shooting, the league pushed back the game just over 24 hours to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community.”
It was an emotional Sunday for both teams and their coaches — Steve Kerr and Chris Finch.
Wolves coach Finch said the organization was “heartbroken.”
Kerr, the outspoken coach of the Warriors, said he felt for the city of Minneapolis.
“There’s a pall that has been cast over the city. You can feel it. A lot of people are suffering. Obviously loss of life, it’s the number one concern,” Kerr said.
“When all the unrest settles down, whenever that is, those family members won’t be returning home and that’s devastating.”
Kerr, who lost his father to gun violence in 1984, told reporters that he spoke to Minnesota forward Joe Ingles who let him know that some Wolves players had concerns over playing Saturday.
“I totally agree with the decision,” Kerr said. “Everything should be about the safety and concern for not only the players and the fans but everybody here in Minneapolis with what’s going on.”
A pregame tribute was shown at the arena for Alex Pretti ahead of tipoff.
Former President Clinton urges Americans to "stand up" and "speak out"
Former President Bill Clinton called on Americans to speak out after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good saying in a statement Sunday that American democracy faces a pivotal moment: “If we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might never get them back.”
“Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take shape our history for years to come,” he said. “This is one of them.”
“It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up, speak out and show that our nation still belongs to We the People,” he continued.
Clinton condemned the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions calling them “unacceptable” and said the federal government is lying to its citizens.
“All of this is unacceptable and should have been avoided,” Clinton said. “People in charge have lied to us, told us not to believe what we’ve seen with our own eyes, and pushed increasingly antagnostic tactics.”
“We’re exhausted,” Minneapolis resident says at memorial site for Alex Pretti
Mary, a Minneapolis healthcare worker who went to the site of a large memorial for Alex Pretti, said she and others in her industry are tired of the current situation in her city.
“It’s been heavy, we’re exhausted,” she told CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz. “Now that we see another fellow healthcare worker who was just there to help somebody, it hits hard.”
She was one of dozens who gathered at the memorial Sunday, where people have left flowers, candles and signs honoring Pretti.
“We’re a community… this is Minnesota, this is who we are,” she said about the showing of support. “I knew I needed to be here because I needed to be with my community,” she said.
