Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. man that participated in the riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE|) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was fatally shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent on Saturday, during a confrontation with federal agents.
The incident occurred in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, a predominantly Somali-American community dubbed “Little Mogadishu,” amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement operations under President Donald Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
Pretti, a intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, was carrying a 9mm handgun while interfering with ICE operations at the time of the shooting according to videos of the incident circulating online.
Video footage from bystanders show Pretti filming the scene, obstructing a federal agent who was trying to shove and detain a female rioter. As agents tried to detain Pretti himself for obstruction, he resisted arrest.
One agent took Pretti's gun during the confrontation. Apparently the gun -- a 9mm (Sig Sauer P320 variant) semi-automatic handgun -- accidentally discharged. One agent can be heard shouting "gun gun," before the agents opened fire. Pretti was pronounced dead on the scene.
Federal officials—including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller— initially labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” “assassin,” and “would-be killer.” Authorities have since started an official investigation into the incident.
Riots intensified across Minneapolis and in Pretti’s hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with thousands gathering. The protests were violent as vidoes circulationg online show.
Rioters targeted federal agents and hotels housing ICE personnel, as local police withdrew from the scene, leaving one agent bleeding from the nose and hands as he faced off with violent left-wing protesters. The Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Pretti before a postponed game, with fans shouting “(expletive) ICE” and “go home ICE.”
In a Truth Social post late Sunday, President Trump blamed the killing on “Democrat-run sanctuary cities” and “Democrat ensued chaos,” and demanded full cooperation from Minnesota and other states.
“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength. What we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,” Trump announced Monday on Truth Social.
He issued four demands:
1. Turn over all undocumented immigrants in state prisons and jails.
2. Turn over all undocumented immigrants arrested by local police.
3. Require local law enforcement to assist federal agents in detaining undocumented immigrants.
4. “Formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
Trump also announced the deployment of Border Czar Tom Homan, to manage ICE operations and speak to local politicians in Minnesota, calling him “tough but fair.”
Body-worn camera footage from CBP agents involved in the shooting is under review by federal investigators. The footage, captured from multiple angles, is expected to clarify the sequence of events.
A federal court hearing on Minnesota’s request to halt Operation Metro Surge ended without a ruling. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney Brantley Mayers called the state’s request “staggering,” arguing it would undermine federal law enforcement authority.
Minnesota left-wing Democrat Governor Tim Walz rejected federal claims about the shooting, calling them “lies” and demanding the immediate removal of 3,000 federal agents from the state. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed and press conference, he accused Trump of “gaslighting the entire country” and using the tragedy to escalate political tensions ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Walz claimed that the Minnesota Department of Corrections complies with federal immigration detainers and has no record of releasing inmates without ensuring transfer. However federal officals point out that city and county jails in the state do not comply with detainers.
Former Democrat President Bill Clinton condemned the federal actions, stating, “The people in charge have lied,” and urged Americans to “stand up” against the erosion of civil liberties.
The Trump administration has blamed Democrat politicians' vitriolic anti-ICE rhetoric for inciting the riots against law enforcement operations across the country.
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the shooting a “tragedy” and expressed sympathy for Pretti’s family, but reiterated blame on Democratic leaders for “hostile resistance” to federal immigration enforcement.
Sunday's shooting followed the January 7 killing of another left-wing rioter Renee Good, who attempted to run over an ICE officer, sparking widespread riots in Minneapolis.
