Killing of Alex Pretti: What we know so far

A 37-year-old intensive attraction caregiver was changeable dormant by national officers astatine an anti-immigration rally successful Minneapolis connected January 24, 2026. He has been identified arsenic Alex Pretti.

Who was Alex Pretti?

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, calved successful Illinois, was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed going connected adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog, who besides precocious passed away. He worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and participated successful protests pursuing the January 7, 2026, sidesplitting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.

Alex Pretti grew up successful Green Bay, Wisconsin, wherever helium played shot and shot and ran way for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang successful the Green Bay Boy Choir. After graduation, helium attended the University of Minnesota, graduating successful 2011 with a bachelor’s grade successful biology, society, and the environment, according to the family. He worked arsenic a probe idiosyncratic earlier returning to schoolhouse to go a registered nurse.

What bash we cognize astir the shooting?

Videos from the country verified and reviewed by Reuters showed Pretti holding a telephone successful his hand, not a gun, arsenic helium tries to assistance different protesters who had been pushed to the crushed by agents. As the videos begin, Pretti tin beryllium seen filming portion a national cause pushes distant 1 pistillate and shoves different pistillate to the ground. Pretti moves betwixt the cause and the women, past raises his near limb to shield himself arsenic ​the cause capsicum sprays him. Several agents past instrumentality clasp of Pretti — who struggles with them — and unit him onto his hands and knees. As ⁠the agents pin Pretti down, idiosyncratic shouts what sounds similar a informing astir the beingness of a gun.

Also read| Killer agents: connected migration enforcement, Minnesota shootings EDITORIAL

Video footage past appears to amusement 1 of the agents removing a weapon from Pretti and stepping distant from the radical with it. Moments later, an serviceman with a handgun points astatine Pretti’s backmost and fires 4 shots successful speedy succession. Several much shots tin past beryllium heard arsenic different cause appears to occurrence astatine Pretti.

Minneapolis shooting communicative and contradicting video evidence

Following Alex Pretti’s death, contradicting accounts person emerged regarding what transpired earlier his death. In a bystander video verified by Reuters, aggregate agents conflict connected the crushed with Pretti and look to onslaught him earlier a changeable is fired. Pretti falls down, aft which aggregate further shots tin beryllium heard. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that a Border Patrol cause fired astatine the man, who resisted the agents’ attempts to disarm him, but section leaders challenged that account.

Statements by President Donald Trump’s medication said agents fired “defensively” against Pretti arsenic helium approached them. Pretti tin beryllium seen with lone a telephone successful his manus arsenic helium steps betwixt an migration cause and a pistillate connected the street. No footage appears to amusement him with a weapon.

A Federal Judge has already issued an bid blocking the Trump medication from “destroying oregon altering evidence” related to the shooting, aft authorities and region officials sued.

Pretti’s decease astatine the hands of national agents took spot little than 3 weeks different Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was changeable and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cause — connected a thoroughfare astir 1.25 miles (two kilometers) away.

Also read: The American Tumult and its interaction connected migration 

Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis constabulary chief, told the CBS “Face the Nation” programme that “the ‌videos talk for themselves,” calling the Trump administration’s mentation of events profoundly disturbing. He said helium had seen nary grounds that Pretti brandished a gun.

Federal authorities person refused to let section officials to enactment successful their probe of the incident.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called connected Mr. Trump to propulsion Federal agents retired of the authorities portion Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino accused Good and Pretti of creating the situations that led to their ‍deaths.

The civilian’s decease has triggered outrage against U.S. President Donald Trump’s migration policies. As a result, thousands of protesters person poured into the streets, demanding stringent enactment against errant officials.

Family denies official’s statements

“He cared astir radical deeply, and helium was precise upset with what was happening successful Minneapolis and passim the United States with national agents, arsenic millions of different radical are upset,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, conscionable grabbing radical disconnected the street. He cared astir those people, and helium knew it was wrong, truthful helium did enactment successful protests.”

“We had this treatment with him 2 weeks agone oregon so, you know, that spell up and protest, but bash not engage, bash not bash thing stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said.

Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a licence to transportation a concealed handgun successful Minnesota. They stated that they had ne'er known him to transportation it.

“The sickening lies told astir our lad by the medication are reprehensible and disgusting,” the family’s connection said. They added that videos showed Pretti was not holding a weapon erstwhile helium was tackled by national agents, but holding his telephone with 1 manus and utilizing the different to shield a pistillate who was being pepper-sprayed.

Demands for justness turn louder

Taking a crisp excavation astatine Donald Trump administration, erstwhile U.S. President Barrack Obama said the sidesplitting of Alex Pretti is simply a heartbreaking tragedy. “It should besides beryllium a wake-up telephone to each American, careless of party, that galore of our halfway values arsenic a federation are progressively nether assault,” Mr. Obama’s station connected X read.

Also Read |Republican calls turn for deeper probe into fatal Minneapolis shooting

In his page-long statement, the Democratic person stated that radical crossed the state person been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and different national agents acting with impunity and engaging successful tactics that look to beryllium designed to intimidate, harass, provoke, and endanger the residents of a large American city.

“This has to stop. I would anticipation that aft this astir caller tragedy, medication officials volition reconsider their approach, and commencement uncovering ways to enactment constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey arsenic good arsenic authorities and section constabulary to avert much chaos and execute morganatic instrumentality enforcement goals”, it mentioned.

Would crackdowns beryllium halted?

The destiny of the enforcements led by U.S. Federal agents successful Minnesoata which has claimed the beingness of 2 officials would beryllium decided by a Federal Judge connected Monday (January 26, 2026).

The authorities of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, 5 days aft protester Renee Good was changeable by an Immigration and Customs officer.

Meanwhile, U.S. Justice Department attorneys person called the suit “legally frivolous” and stated that “Minnesota wants a veto implicit national instrumentality enforcement.” They asked the justice to cull the petition or, astatine the precise least, enactment her bid pending an anticipated appeal.

(With inputs from agencies)