• Cellphone footage appears to show federal agents removing Alex Pretti's firearm before fatal shots were fired
• A pediatrician who rushed to the scene claims ICE agents blocked medical access and prioritized counting bullet holes over lifesaving measures
• The shooting marks the third fatal incident involving federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks

MINNEAPOLIS (TDR) — Fresh video evidence and disturbing eyewitness testimony are raising serious questions about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen killed by Border Patrol agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The evidence directly contradicts official claims that Pretti posed an immediate threat to officers.

Multiple angles of cellphone footage analyzed by CNN appear to show a federal agent removing a handgun from Pretti's waistband before another officer opened fire. The video, combined with a sworn affidavit from a pediatrician who witnessed the shooting, suggests a disturbing pattern of conduct by federal agents that prioritized covering their tracks over saving a life.

"That agent then fires up to ten times again after Alex Pretti is disarmed," said Lou Raguse, investigative journalist with KARE 11 News. "I froze the video right before the second shot, which appeared to be right into Alex's back. This video directly contradicts Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's claim that Pretti brandished the weapon or approached officers with the weapon. No video even shows Pretti reach for it."

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The Shooting: What the Videos Show

The incident occurred Saturday morning, January 24, near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis. Pretti, a licensed ICU nurse at a local VA hospital and lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, had been documenting federal immigration operations in the neighborhood.

According to video analysis by the Daily Mail, the sequence of events unfolded as follows: Pretti was initially pepper-sprayed and forced to his knees. Multiple agents surrounded him, struggling to restrain his arms and legs as he was pushed face-down onto the pavement. One agent wearing a gray jacket and pink baseball cap reached into the back of Pretti's waistband and retrieved what appeared to be a handgun.

As that officer ran back across the street, the weapon may have accidentally discharged while in his possession. In the heat of the moment, remaining agents apparently believed the gunfire originated from Pretti himself. Within seconds, another agent drew his firearm and fired directly into Pretti's back. Agents then retreated into the road where at least nine additional shots were fired—roughly ten rounds total—even as Pretti lay motionless on the pavement.

Pretti's family has fiercely disputed the federal account, calling the administration's claims "sickening lies" and insisting the video shows their son holding a phone, not a gun, as he tried to protect a woman who had been shoved by agents. "Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs," the family said in a statement. "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."

Doctor's Disturbing Testimony

Perhaps the most troubling account comes from a 29-year-old pediatrician whose apartment overlooks the shooting scene. The physician, whose name was redacted in court filings submitted to USA TODAY, rushed outside after hearing gunfire and offered to provide medical assistance. What the doctor encountered contradicted standard emergency protocols and raised serious questions about the agents' priorities.

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"At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through," the doctor wrote in the sworn declaration. "They repeatedly asked me for my physician's license, which I obviously didn't have. I could tell that the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him."

Eventually, one agent agreed to let the doctor approach—but only after patting him down "to make sure I didn't have a weapon." When the pediatrician reached Pretti, the scene was deeply troubling.

"As I approached, I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents," the doctor stated. "I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot. Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds."

The physician observed at least three bullet wounds in Pretti's back, one in his upper left chest, and another possible wound to his neck. When asked if Pretti had a pulse, agents reportedly did not know because they had not checked. The doctor performed CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived, but Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene.

Official Response vs. Reality

The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that agents acted in self-defense. In a social media post, DHS claimed: "At 9:05 a.m. CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted."

The agency further alleged that "fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots" and characterized Pretti as having "two magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."

However, these claims have been directly contradicted by multiple eyewitness accounts and video evidence. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who reviewed the footage, called the federal narrative "nonsense" and "lies." Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated he had seen video of agents "pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death."

The pediatrician's testimony filed with the court was equally definitive: "I saw him yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind. Suddenly, an ICE agent shoved him to the ground. My view of the altercation was partially obstructed, but after a few seconds, I saw at least four ICE agents point guns at the man. I then saw the agents shoot the man at least six or seven times."

Pattern of Deadly Force

Pretti's death marks the third fatal shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. On January 7, 37-year-old mother Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent during an enforcement operation. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

In both cases, federal authorities initially claimed the victims posed threats to officers—claims that were later challenged by video evidence and witness testimony. Following Good's death, thousands of protesters marched through Minneapolis streets in subzero temperatures demanding ICE leave the state. The Pretti shooting occurred the day after one such massive demonstration.

President Donald Trump responded to the controversy with a social media post defending the agents and attacking local officials, claiming without evidence that Representative Ilhan Omar had "$34 Million Dollars in her account" and alleging "massive Monetary Fraud" in Minnesota. The president characterized Mayor Frey and Governor Walz as "inciting Insurrection" and demanded they "LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB."

Legal and Political Fallout

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Hennepin County Attorney's Office have taken the extraordinary step of filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to preserve evidence from the shooting. U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence, including materials allegedly removed from the scene.

The ACLU of Minnesota has filed a class action lawsuit against DHS, Secretary Noem, and ICE leadership, charging the agency with using intimidation tactics reminiscent of "pre-World War II Germany or Pinochet's Chile" to chill free speech protected under the First Amendment. The physician's testimony about agents counting bullet wounds rather than providing aid was submitted as part of this ongoing litigation.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed Pretti was a "lawful gun owner with a permit to carry" but emphasized that local authorities have received "very limited" information about what led to the shooting. The chief joined Mayor Frey in demanding that ICE leave the city immediately, stating: "We understand your frustrations. This is not sustainable."

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, typically a supporter of the administration, called for a full investigation into the shooting, stating that the "credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake." The senator's unusual break with the administration underscores the growing bipartisan concern over the conduct of federal immigration enforcement operations.

"I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping," one witness said in an affidavit filed with the court. The witness, who was five feet from the incident, described seeing Pretti with his hands above his head before agents grabbed him, pulled him to the street, and opened fire. "They shot him so many times."

Does video evidence of agents removing Pretti's weapon before fatal shots—and a doctor's testimony that officers counted bullet wounds instead of providing aid—represent a tragic operational failure or something more sinister?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CNN's video analysis, Daily Mail reporting, USA TODAY coverage, Minnesota Star Tribune reporting, FOX 9 Minneapolis, CBS News Minnesota, The Daily Beast, UNILAD, and Yahoo News Canada.

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