What we know about a second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis

Protesters and the public surround the cordoned off scene where Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents earlier in the day, in Minneapolis, Jan. 24, 2026. Sworn court filings submitted by people who were at the scene are raising further questions about the federal government’s narrative of what happened before federal agents shot Pretti. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

By RYLEE KIRK

Federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday fatally shot a 37-year-old man, the second person to be shot and killed in the city during protests against a ramped-up immigration enforcement effort by the Trump administration, authorities said.

Authorities have yet to formally name the man shot dead by federal agents. But colleagues and a senior law enforcement official identified him as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a registered nurse with no criminal record.

Pretti’s killing prompted more protests in Minneapolis, where tensions between residents and federal agents have run high over raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In early January, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, 37, an unarmed U.S. citizen.

Trump administration officials have defended the shooting of Pretti, as they did the shooting of Good. But videos of the encounter and the moments preceding it, analyzed by The New York Times, appeared to contradict the federal government’s narrative.

Here’s what we know:

Who was killed?

Pretti, 37, worked in the intensive care unit at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis, according to interviews and public records. Those who knew him described him as a devoted colleague and friendly neighbor who closely followed the news.

“He was your typical struggling young person with a lot of ambition, but no direction yet,” said Aasma Shaukat, a VA physician who worked with Pretti. “But he knew he wanted to help people in some way or another.”

Pretti graduated from a high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2006. He later received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 2011, a spokesperson said.

Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, confirmed at a news conference that the person who was shot was a 37-year-old man who lived in Minneapolis and was an American citizen.

The man had no criminal record and had a permit to carry a gun, O’Hara said. Minnesota law allows citizens with a permit to carry handguns in public without concealment.

What happened in the encounter?

The Department of Homeland Security said the episode began after a man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun” and they tried to disarm him. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, accused him of “domestic terrorism.”

But a New York Times analysis of videos filmed at the scene suggested that Pretti had been holding a phone, not his gun, in his hands when he was tackled by federal officers.

Videos of the encounter Saturday suggest that it began after a small group of protesters — including Pretti — had gathered near federal agents operating in Minneapolis. Similar scenes have become common across the country as opponents of the Trump administration’s immigration policies have rallied against raids by ICE and other federal agencies.

One of the agents began shoving the demonstrators, deploying pepper spray in their faces, video showed. Pretti, who was holding up his phone, moved to help one of the protesters who had been sprayed before several agents tackled him to the ground.

Several seconds after Pretti was on the ground, agents yelled that he had a gun. One of the officers then pulled what appeared to be a firearm out of the group. The agents appeared to be holding Pretti with his arms pinned near his head, firmly under control.

O’Hara said investigators believe that at least two agents opened fire. At least 10 shots appeared to have been fired at Pretti within five seconds, according to the Times analysis of video footage.

Speaking at a news conference Greg Bovino, the official in charge of President Donald Trump’s Border Patrol operations, said the agents had been conducting a “targeted operation” searching for a man accused of domestic assault and other charges.

The person who was shot was not the target of the operation, Bovino said. It was unclear if the federal officers ultimately found the suspect they were searching for.

Who is investigating?

Federal authorities said the Department of Homeland Security would lead the investigation into Pretti’s shooting. But Noem has already issued a full-throated defense of the officers involved, saying Pretti most likely intended to “kill law enforcement,” without providing evidence.

Pretti’s death appeared poised to become part of a broader legal battle over whether state officials can hold federal officers to account amid the Trump administration’s immigration clampdown.

Minnesota officials say the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will lead a separate investigation that could lead to state charges.

But the Department of Homeland Security initially blocked state agents from examining the scene of the shooting, said Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent. Minnesota officials were also blocked from accessing evidence and pursuing an investigation into Good’s death.

Despite being denied access, the Minnesota bureau is talking with witnesses and seeking video, Evans said at a news conference Saturday.