New Video Challenges Official Account in Fatal Minneapolis Shooting of Alex Pretti
Emerging footage disputes Team Trump’s claims, showing agents disarming Alex Pretti before firing fatal shots during immigration raid.
A newly surfaced video circulating on social media has cast serious doubt on the Trump administration’s explanation for the fatal shooting of 37-year-old US citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The clip, which major US outlets including CNN and The Washington Post have analyzed, appears to show federal agents wrestling Pretti to the ground, removing a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from his waistband, and then firing approximately 10 shots within seconds. Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital and licensed concealed carry holder, was shot on January 24, 2026, at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
The Department of Homeland Security initially stated that agents fired “defensive shots” after Pretti approached them armed with a handgun, claiming he posed an immediate threat to officers’ lives. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged Pretti attacked officers, while Border Patrol official Greg Bovino accused him of intending to “massacre law enforcement.” However, the video suggests Pretti was disarmed before the shooting began, raising questions about whether agents were aware he no longer held the weapon.
Additional footage shows Pretti stepping between an immigration agent and a woman on the street, holding only a phone in one hand with the other raised, appearing to protect her amid pepper spray deployment. No clip depicts him pointing or wielding a firearm at that moment. Pretti became the second person killed—and third US citizen shot—by federal agents in Minneapolis during the ongoing nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown under President Donald Trump.
Also Read: Trump Blames “Democrat-Ensued Chaos” for Fatal Shootings by Immigration Officers in Minneapolis
Pretti’s family expressed profound grief and outrage, condemning what they called “sickening lies” by authorities. In a statement, relatives insisted Alex was unarmed, holding a phone and raising an empty hand while trying to shield a woman pushed down by ICE agents. They described federal officials’ portrayal as “reprehensible and disgusting” and demanded the truth be shared widely.
The incident has intensified protests in Minneapolis, now a focal point of unrest against the administration’s aggressive immigration policies, with calls mounting for independent investigation into the shooting.
Also Read: Toddler Detained by ICE Sparks Outrage in Minneapolis Immigration Crackdown
