Man shot by ICE in Minnesota yesterday
Executive summary
A federal immigration-enforcement operation in south Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, ended with the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents; widespread video and witness accounts have contradicted initial federal descriptions and ignited large protests and political backlash [1] [2] [3]. State officials say federal personnel blocked Minnesota investigators from the scene, prompting urgent demands for a joint, transparent inquiry even as federal authorities have defended the use of force [4] [2].
1. What happened on Nicollet Avenue: conflicting narratives
Multiple news outlets report that Alex Pretti was shot and killed during a confrontation with federal immigration agents near Nicollet Avenue and West 26th/28th Streets in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, and that the episode was captured on bystander video that appears to conflict with federal accounts of the shooting [1] [5] [3]. Federal officials released an image and said the man was carrying a gun, framing the operation as a targeted enforcement action, while analysis of videos by The New York Times and others indicated the man was holding a phone and that witnesses described him as trying to protect another person when he was shot [2] [3].
2. Investigation and access disputes: state vs. federal control
Minnesota law-enforcement leaders — including the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent — said Department of Homeland Security personnel blocked state investigators from examining the scene and accessing evidence despite state efforts and a search warrant, a standoff that has become central to demands for accountability [4] [6]. Local officials and Governor Tim Walz publicly demanded that state authorities lead the probe and called for federal agents to leave, while the BCA reported being denied entry to the scene, escalating tensions between state and federal agencies [4] [7].
3. Public reaction and political fallout
The killing prompted immediate and large protests in Minneapolis and drew national political fire: city residents, civil liberties groups and several senators denounced the shooting and called for investigations or withdrawal of federal enforcement, while supporters of the operation defended agents’ actions; the episode fed a broader debate over the presence and tactics of ICE and Border Patrol in American cities [8] [9] [10]. Elected officials from Minnesota urged calm as demonstrations swelled, and the governor activated the National Guard amid concerns about unrest [8] [9].
4. Who Alex Pretti was, and how witnesses describe the moment
Reporting identifies the victim as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37‑year‑old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, described by family and local outlets as a community-minded person who had participated in earlier protests against federal immigration sweeps; witnesses and longer videos reportedly show him with a phone in his right hand and empty left hand raised at the time he was shot, countering the federal portrayal that he approached with a weapon [11] [3] [8]. Family statements and local coverage emphasize his background and the grief and anger now surrounding his death [11].
5. Legal actions, media scrutiny, and limits of current reporting
Civil-society groups and the Hennepin County attorney’s office have moved to preserve evidence and filed motions seeking to prevent destruction of materials related to the shooting, while witness affidavits have been filed in federal court as part of broader litigation over federal tactics in the city; media outlets are continuing frame-by-frame video analysis that challenges official statements [1] [10] [9]. Some reporting notes that the Justice Department’s civil‑rights division historically investigates federal‑officer shootings but, according to two officials cited by The New York Times, was not expected to open a probe in this case — a limitation that leaves accountability questions unresolved pending further disclosures [3].
6. What remains unresolved and why it matters
Key factual disputes — whether Pretti was armed, the exact sequence of events that led to the shooting, and who controlled the crime scene and evidence immediately afterward — remain contested between federal agents, state investigators and multiple witnesses, and those unresolved points are why activists, family members and elected leaders are demanding a full, independent investigation; current reporting documents the conflicts but does not yet supply a definitive, court‑adjudicated account [2] [4] [3]. The incident has become a flashpoint in a larger national fight over federal immigration enforcement tactics, oversight of federal law enforcement, and the legal authority to investigate officer‑involved deaths [8] [9].