The Twin Cities are on edge following the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration forces in less than a month.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday morning in downtown Minneapolis.
The incident follows the January 7 death of Renee Good, further fueling claims that the Trump administration’s federal operations are endangering local residents.
The Disputed Encounter
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement shortly after the incident, claiming that an agent fired in self-defense during an “armed struggle” with a man who approached officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
Secretary Kristi Noem and White House officials quickly labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and an “assassin.”
However, multiple bystander videos analyzed by major news outlets tell a different story. The footage shows Pretti recording the scene with his cell phone.
As agents deployed chemical spray and shoved protesters, Pretti appeared to reach out to help a fallen woman before being tackled by multiple agents.
While a firearm was later recovered from a holster on his person, Pretti was a licensed gun owner with no criminal record, videos do not show him reaching for or brandishing the weapon during the struggle.
Political Fallout
Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have condemned the administration’s rhetoric, accusing federal officials of “sowing chaos.”
Walz implored the public to trust the video evidence over the “partisans’ narrative” emanating from Washington.
In a defiant move, Trump posted on Truth Social, accusing Minnesota officials of an “insurrectionist” cover-up and announced that “Border Czar” Tom Homan would take over operations on the ground.
As federal agencies continue to block local investigators from the crime scene, the American Nurses Association and various gun rights groups have called for a full, transparent investigation into the death of the man described by his parents as a “kindhearted soul.”
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