Senior officials in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday defended the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, even as newly surfaced bystander video sharply contradicted the government’s account and deepened tensions between federal officers, local authorities and residents.
The killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, occurred Saturday during a confrontation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and demonstrators protesting the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign. Pretti is the second American citizen shot dead by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this month, a city that has seen an unprecedented deployment of thousands of armed, masked agents.
As snow fell and temperatures remained well below freezing, residents gathered Sunday at a makeshift memorial near the site of the shooting, laying flowers and lighting candles. Many expressed disbelief and anger at the administration’s claim that agents acted in self-defence after being assaulted.
Homeland Security officials, including Border Patrol leadership and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, said Pretti posed a threat to officers. Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, told CNN that “the victims are border patrol agents,” a statement that drew immediate backlash.
Video footage verified by Reuters tells a different story. The recordings show Pretti holding a cellphone as he films federal agents pushing several women to the ground during a street confrontation. Pretti appears to step between the agents and the women, raising his arm as an officer sprays him with pepper spray. Moments later, multiple agents force him to the ground.
As Pretti is pinned down, someone can be heard shouting a warning about a gun. One agent then appears to remove a handgun from Pretti’s waistband and step away. Seconds later, another officer fires multiple shots into Pretti’s back at close range. Additional gunfire follows.
Minnesota officials confirmed that Pretti legally carried a concealed firearm and held a valid state permit, a right affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 2022 ruling. Local leaders said there was no evidence that Pretti ever drew or pointed the weapon.
“This video speaks for itself,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in an interview with CBS. “I have seen no indication that Mr. Pretti brandished a gun. The federal government’s description of what happened is deeply disturbing.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz renewed his call for Trump to withdraw federal agents from the state, accusing the administration of escalating violence and trampling constitutional protections. Minnesota has asked a federal judge to restrain what it describes as unlawful excesses in the immigration operation.
Trump, however, placed blame squarely on Democratic leadership. Writing on his Truth Social platform, the president accused Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of refusing to cooperate with ICE. “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat-ensued chaos,” Trump wrote, referring to Pretti and Renee Good, another U.S. citizen fatally shot by a federal agent on January 7.
Good was killed after an agent approached her while she was sitting in a parked vehicle. Trump officials claimed she attempted to ram the officer, but bystander video appeared to show her trying to drive away. State and local authorities are investigating whether the agent violated Minnesota law, though the U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn cooperation from that probe. At least a dozen federal prosecutors have resigned in protest.
Anger has been building in Minneapolis for weeks as ICE agents patrol neighbourhoods and clash with residents. Thousands again filled the streets on Sunday, chanting “ICE out!” and blowing whistles in protest. The city is home to one of the largest Somali immigrant communities in the United States, and the federal surge followed conservative media reports alleging widespread fraud among Somali residents.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed that justification. “If this were really about fraud, they would send accountants,” Ellison said. “Instead, they are sending armed, masked men.”
Former ICE official Darius Reeves said the Pretti footage raised serious concerns about agent coordination. “It’s clear there was a breakdown in communication,” Reeves said, noting that confusion over the presence of a gun appeared to trigger the fatal shots.
Business leaders also weighed in. Executives from 60 Minnesota-based companies, including Target, General Mills, Best Buy and Cargill, signed an open letter urging an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” and calling on all levels of government to work together.
A federal judge on Saturday night ordered the Trump administration to preserve all evidence related to Pretti’s killing, barring any destruction or alteration.
The incident has drawn condemnation from prominent national figures. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton both issued statements criticizing the administration. Clinton accused officials of misleading the public, while Obama warned that fundamental American values were under threat. “This has to stop,” Barack and Michelle Obama said.
Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. On Sunday, more than 200 healthcare workers gathered near the shooting site to mourn him. One colleague, wearing medical scrubs, described him as “kind, caring, and deeply committed to his patients.”
“None of this makes any sense,” she said through tears.
Despite the growing backlash, Trump has defended the immigration operations as necessary to curb crime and enforce federal law, even as Minneapolis remains on edge and calls for accountability grow louder.
