Alex pretti fired

1. What happened: the sequence reported so far

According to multiple news organizations, federal Border Patrol or ICE agents confronted protesters in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026; during that operation Alex Pretti was wrestled to the ground and shot multiple times and later died ^{[1] [2]}. Bystander footage circulating online shows Pretti being pepper-sprayed, tackled, restrained and then shot while surrounded by several agents, and an image from Reuters shows an agent removing a firearm from a waistband moments before shots were fired — details that have been central to competing interpretations of the encounter ^{[6] [7]}.

2. Official claims and the rapid backtrack

Senior administration officials initially described Pretti as having “intended to massacre” officers and characterized him with terms that included “domestic terrorist,” framing the shooting as defensive action by agents; those assertions provoked intense pushback and were subsequently walked back as more video and witness accounts emerged ^{[3] [8]}. The administration privately suggested agents may have been responding to an apparent threat after a weapon was removed from Pretti’s waistband, while critics say the early rhetoric chased a political narrative rather than the evidence ^{[3] [7]}.

3. Witness accounts and what the videos show

Sworn affidavits filed in court and bystander testimony state that Pretti did not brandish a weapon and that he was attempting to film and assist a protester whom agents had shoved to the ground — testimony that directly contradicts initial official characterizations ^{[4] [6]}. Multiple outlets and legal observers analyzing the footage note that Pretti is seen holding a phone and using one hand to shield himself from pepper spray before being dragged down, and witnesses have testified they did not observe an attack on officers or a display of a firearm prior to the shooting ^{[6] [4]}.

4. Legal stakes and expert context

Legal scholars and use-of-force experts point to the Supreme Court’s Graham v. Connor standard: deadly force is only lawful when officers have an objectively reasonable belief of imminent threat, a determination that hinges on whether Pretti was armed, whether agents had secured his hands, and what threat they actually faced — all facts currently in dispute and under investigation ^{[1] [8]}. The ACLU has filed court documents as part of a broader legal push tied to demonstrations in the city, and unions and legal advocates are demanding accountability and transparency as federal inquiries are expected to follow ^{[4] [9]}.

5. Public reaction and political fallout

The shooting has sparked mass protests, celebrity and corporate responses, and demands for de-escalation from Minnesota business leaders after two fatal federal shootings in the state in a three-week span, underscoring the incident’s broader political ramifications for the federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis ^{[5] [1]}. Outlets and commentators range from calls that Pretti was “murdered” to warnings against hasty conclusions, reflecting a highly polarized public debate over federal tactics and the administration’s messaging ^{[10] [7]}.

6. What remains unknown and what to watch next

Key unresolved facts include the precise sequence between the removal of the firearm and the shots fired, whether agents had secured Pretti’s hands before lethal force was used, and the full content of federal investigative reports that have not yet been released publicly; current reporting documents the contested evidence and the competing narratives but cannot definitively answer those legal and forensic questions without the pending official inquiries ^{[7] [4]}. The most consequential next developments will be release of body-worn camera and internal agent footage, forensic autopsy details, and federal investigative findings that can either corroborate or contradict witness testimony and public video analysis ^{[1] [4]}.