ISTANBUL
The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old intensive care nurse with no criminal record by US federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has sparked nationwide outrage, laying bare starkly conflicting accounts of what occurred and raising renewed questions about the use of deadly force.
US Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti in south Minneapolis on Saturday during a federal immigration enforcement surge.
Senior Trump administration officials quickly framed the killing as a justified response to an armed and violent attacker.
Bystander videos, sworn witness statements, and accounts from medical professionals, however, tell a sharply different story, suggesting Pretti was disarmed, restrained, and shot while pinned to the ground.
Federal officials labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and a “would-be assassin,” yet have released no evidence to support claims that he intended to harm officers or commit ideologically motivated violence.
Video footage instead shows a man holding a cellphone, immobilized on the pavement, before being shot multiple times.
This explainer examines the competing narratives, available evidence, political fallout, and experts' analysis surrounding a killing that has shaken Minneapolis and reverberated nationwide.
- What federal officials claim
Within two hours of the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti had “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” that agents attempted to disarm him, and that he “violently resisted.” The agency also claimed that “medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem repeatedly reinforced that narrative on Saturday, saying Pretti “impeded their law enforcement operations,” “attacked those officers,” and arrived “wishing to inflict harm.”
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino echoed those claims, telling reporters the incident appeared to involve “an individual (who) wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” On CNN on Sunday, Bovino said Pretti had been “actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Fox Business: “You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions.” He also suggested Pretti was acting unlawfully by being armed. “You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want,” Patel said.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went further, labeling Pretti a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” in a social media post just three hours after the shooting. Noem used the same term, accusing Pretti of seeking to “perpetuate violence” for “ideological reasons.”
President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he's got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn't play good either.”
Despite these assertions, federal officials have not released evidence showing Pretti intended to harm officers or engage in terrorism. Asked directly on Fox News to provide proof, Noem declined, saying only that investigators would hear from agents and witnesses “on the ground.”
- What the law says
Minnesota law allows individuals to carry a handgun in public with a permit. Local officials said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry.
“There’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on NBC. He added that the shooting was the result of "an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers."
- What videos and witnesses show
Multiple videos reviewed by The Washington Post, The New York Times, CBS News, and other outlets appear to contradict central elements of the federal account.
Pretti is seen in footage directing traffic and filming immigration agents during the enforcement operation. In several clips, he is clearly holding a cell phone in his right hand and leaving his left hand empty. There is no evidence that he brandished a weapon.
Pretti can be seen on video intervening after a federal officer shoves a legal observer to the ground. Moments later, an officer repeatedly sprays Pretti with a chemical irritant before several agents tackle him to the ground.
As agents restrain Pretti, one officer reaches for his lower back and steps away, holding what appears to be a gun. An agent can be heard shouting, "Gun! Gun!" About a second later, a close-range shot is fired. As officers step back, roughly 10 more shots are fired.
Bystander footage reviewed by CBS News shows Pretti did not have a gun in his hands before being forced to the ground. Analysis by The New York Times found no indication that Pretti drew his weapon or that agents were aware he was armed until after he was pinned to the sidewalk.
Two witnesses provided sworn statements saying they had never seen Pretti brandish a weapon. One said he was "just observing and filming the scene with his camera out." Another said she saw him "yelling at the ICE agents" but "did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind."
Witnesses also challenged DHS' claims that medical aid was immediately provided.
A pediatrician who rushed to the scene said in a sworn declaration that “none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR.” She said Pretti was “lying on his side” while agents “appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.” Another doctor said agents initially hesitated to allow medical care and demanded proof of a medical license.
- Family response and prior incident
Minneapolis' police chief described Pretti, a US citizen with no criminal record, as an intensive care nurse. His parents told Kare 11 that they were "heartbroken but also very angry," condemning what they described as "sickening lies" by administration officials.
“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly (immigration) thugs,” they said. “Please get the truth about our son. He was a good man.”
The killing came just 17 days after another Minneapolis resident, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer. The video in that case showed Good attempting to drive away. Both deaths sparked protests and calls for accountability across the nation.
- Political fallout and funding fight
The shooting has intensified political tensions in Washington as Congress races to avert a government shutdown.
Senate Democrats have vowed to block a sweeping funding package that includes $64.4 billion for DHS, including $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), unless changes are made to rein in the agency.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling, and unacceptable in any American city,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
Senators Patty Murray, Tina Smith, and Amy Klobuchar called for DHS funding to be separated from the broader package. “Federal agents cannot murder people in broad daylight and face zero consequences,” Murray wrote on the US social media company X.
Republicans rejected the criticism. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota blamed “the rhetoric of local leaders” and said he was “grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.”
Former President Bill Clinton also weighed in, condemning the killings of Pretti and Good and accusing authorities of deception. “All of this is unacceptable and should have been avoided,” he said.
“At every turn, the people in charge have lied to us, told us not to believe what we’ve seen with our own eyes, and pushed increasingly aggressive and antagonistic tactics.”
- What experts say
Use-of-force experts are divided, though many say the video evidence raises serious concerns.
“This video raises a lot of questions,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “What happened that made these agents feel threatened?”
Tom Nolan, a former Boston police commander and former DHS civil rights adviser, was blunt: “Under no circumstances was this a justified shooting. It was a stone-cold murder. It’s a bad shoot.”
Others urged caution. “This was tense, this was uncertain, this was rapidly evolving,” said David Klinger, a criminology professor and former police officer.
The National Rifle Association said: “Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
- Investigation under scrutiny
Whether the investigation will be independent remains unclear. Noem said DHS would lead the probe, despite the FBI typically handling such cases.
Minnesota investigators said they were blocked from accessing the scene despite a warrant and asked a judge to prevent federal authorities from altering evidence. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday.
