• President Trump posted photo of victim’s gun on Truth Social, claiming local police were prevented from protecting ICE officers
• Victim identified as Alex Pretti, 37-year-old ICU nurse and lawful gun owner with no violent criminal history
• Shooting marks third involving federal agents in Minneapolis this month amid escalating immigration enforcement operations

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — President Donald Trump accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection” Saturday after federal Border Patrol agents shot and killed a lawful gun owner during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, posting a photo of the victim’s weapon on Truth Social alongside a lengthy statement defending the shooting.

The victim, identified by the Minnesota Star Tribune as Alex Pretti, was a 37-year-old ICU nurse with no violent criminal history beyond traffic tickets, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The shooting occurred at approximately 9:05 a.m. Saturday during a targeted operation near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue, marking the third shooting involving federal agents in the city this month.

Trump’s Truth Social Statement

In a Truth Social post published less than two hours after the shooting, Trump shared a photograph of a 9mm semi-automatic handgun allegedly carried by Pretti, describing it as “loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go.”

“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” —President Donald Trump, Truth Social, January 24, 2026

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Trump’s post continued with unsubstantiated allegations about Representative Ilhan Omar and financial fraud in Minnesota, claiming the congresswoman has “$34 Million Dollars in her account” and that “Tens of Billions of Dollars” have been stolen from the state. The president offered no evidence for these claims, which appear to reference ongoing investigations into child nutrition program fraud that have not implicated Omar.

“Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota? We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.” —President Donald Trump, Truth Social, January 24, 2026

Conflicting Narratives Emerge

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti approached Border Patrol officers with his weapon and “violently resisted” attempts to disarm him, prompting an agent to fire “defensive shots”. However, video circulating on social media shows multiple agents wrestling Pretti to the ground before shots were fired.

“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” —Greg Bovino, Border Patrol Commander, January 24, 2026

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Chief O’Hara presented a starkly different characterization, confirming Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and no known violent criminal history. The victim’s parents told the Associated Press their son worked as an intensive care unit nurse.

“We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. The only interaction that we are aware of with law enforcement has been for traffic tickets.” —Police Chief Brian O’Hara, January 24, 2026

Local Leaders Condemn Federal Operations

Governor Walz immediately called the shooting “sickening” and demanded Trump end federal immigration operations in Minnesota.

“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.” —Governor Tim Walz, January 24, 2026

Mayor Frey, speaking at an afternoon press conference, directly addressed Trump: “How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” The mayor described the federal presence as an “invasion by its own federal government” and accused the administration of prioritizing “political and partisan narrative” over American values.

“We have seen these kinds of operations in other places, in other countries, but not here in America. Not in a way where a great American city is being invaded by its own federal government.” —Mayor Jacob Frey, January 24, 2026

Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Ilhan Omar also demanded immediate withdrawal of ICE agents, with Omar calling the shooting “an execution by immigration enforcement”.

Protests Escalate As Agents Deploy Tear Gas

Hundreds of protesters gathered near the scene within hours, chanting “shame, shame, shame” at federal officers. Law enforcement responded by deploying tear gas and pepper bombs. Witnesses reported one officer responding mockingly to protesters with “boo hoo” as he walked away.

The Minnesota State Patrol declared an unlawful assembly as protesters dragged dumpsters into streets to create barricades. The demonstrations follow a Friday march that drew 50,000 people and an economic blackout where hundreds of businesses closed in protest.

Pattern Of Deadly Force Raises Questions

Saturday’s shooting follows the January 7 killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother shot by an ICE agent, and the January 14 shooting of a Venezuelan national. The Good shooting prompted mass resignations from federal prosecutors and FBI agents alleging political interference in investigations.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated her office is working with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to coordinate a state response and expects federal authorities to allow state investigators to process the scene.

Unsubstantiated Claims And Political Fallout

Trump’s allegations about Representative Omar appear to reference Feeding Our Future fraud case, a $250 million scheme led by Aimee Bock, who is white, with no evidence linking Omar to the crimes. The president has previously attacked Omar with racially charged rhetoric, including calls to “send them back” to Somalia.

Trump concluded his Truth Social post by declaring “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!” and claiming 12,000 illegal alien criminals have been arrested in Minnesota. He warned that if these individuals “were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today.”

“Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud. The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America.” —President Donald Trump, Truth Social, January 24, 2026

Will the Trump administration heed calls to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota, or will the escalating cycle of protests and deadly force continue?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from The New York Times’ coverage of Trump’s statement, CNN’s live updates, Yahoo News’ report on the victim identification, NBC News’ live blog, KOB’s interview with victim’s parents, Fox News’ coverage of Trump’s defense, Politico’s reporting on state response, and The Boston Globe’s updates.

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