Protester shot and killed during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal immigration officer shot and killed a man Saturday in Minneapolis, drawing hundreds of protesters onto the frigid streets and ratcheting up tensions in a city already shaken by another killing weeks earlier.

Family members identified the man who was killed as Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care unit nurse who protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city. After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and protesters clashed with federal immigration officers, who wielded batons and deployed flash bangs.

The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Gov. Tim Walz, officials said. Guard troops were sent to the shooting site and a federal building where officials squared off with protesters daily.

Information about what led up to the shooting was limited, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers were conducting an operation and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.

In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon after, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand but none appears to show him with a visible weapon.

O'Hara said police believe the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said during a news conference later Saturday that Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation.” She questioned why he was armed but did not offer details about whether Pretti drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.

The officer who shot the man is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.

Trump weighed in on social media by lashing out at Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Trump shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered and said: “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”

The Republican said the Democratic governor and mayor are “are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.”

Pretti was shot just over a mile from where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good on Jan. 7, which sparked widespread protests.

Video shows officers, man who was shot

In a bystander video, protesters can be heard blowing whistles and shouting profanities at agents on Nicollet Avenue.

The video shows an officer shoving a person who is wearing a brown jacket, skirt and black tights and carrying a water bottle. That person reaches out for a man and the two link up, embracing. The man, wearing a brown jacket and black hat, seems to be holding his phone up toward the officer.

The same officer shoves the man in his chest and the two, still embracing, fall back.

Man killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis was an ICU nurse, family says

The video shifts to a different part of the street, then comes back to the two individuals unlinking from each other. The video shifts focus again, then shows three officers surrounding the man.

Soon at least seven officers surround the man. One is on the man's back and another who appears to have a cannister in his hand strikes a blow to the man's chest. Several officers try to bring the man's arms behind his back as he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly visible on camera. The officer with the cannister strikes the man near his head several times.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

A shot rings out, but with officers surrounding the man, it's not clear from where the shot came. Multiple officers back off of the man after the shot. More shots are heard. Officers back away and the man lies motionless on the street.

The police chief appealed for calm from the public and federal law enforcement.

Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said the officer who shot the man had extensive training as a range safety officer and in using less-lethal force. "This is only the latest attack on law enforcement. Across the country, the men and women of DHS have been attacked, shot at," he said.

Walz implored Trump to end what DHS called its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. He said he had no confidence in federal officials and that the state would lead the investigation into the latest killing.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said federal officers blocked his agency from the shooting scene, and when they returned with a signed judicial warrant, they still were blocked.

Pretti's family released a statement Saturday evening saying they are “heartbroken but also very angry,” and calling him a kindhearted soul who wanted to make a difference in the world through his work as a nurse.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed," the family statement said. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

Protests continue in Minneapolis

Protesters converged at the scene of the shooting despite dangerously cold weather.

An angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home.

One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.” Agents elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car.

Protesters dragged garbage dumpsters from alleyways to block the streets, and people chanted, “ICE out now” and “Observing ICE is not a crime.”

"They're killing my neighbors!" Minneapolis resident Josh Koskie said.

As dark fell, hundreds of people gathered quietly by a growing memorial at the site of the shooting. Some carried signs saying “Justice for Alex Pretti.” Others chanted Pretti's and Good's names. A doughnut shop and a clothing store nearby stayed open, offering protesters a warm place as well as water, coffee and snacks.

Caleb Spike said he came from a nearby suburb to show his support and his frustration. “It feels like every day something crazier happens,” he said. “What’s happening in our community is wrong, it’s sickening, it’s disgusting.”

Amid the unrest, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will not vote for a spending package that includes money for DHS. Schumer’s statement increases the possibility that the government could partially shut down on Jan. 30 when funding runs out.

___

The age of the man who was shot has been corrected to 37, per information from the police chief. The AP previously reported he was older based on a hospital record.

Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell'Orto and Sarah Raza in Minnesota, Jim Mustian in New York and Michael Catalini in New Jersey also contributed.

Killing in Minnesota intensifies protests