Disturbing new cellphone footage has emerged showing federal immigration officers wrestling a man to the ground in Minneapolis before shooting him multiple times, providing chilling insight into an incident that has sparked further protests and widespread outrage against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Graphic Footage Captures Fatal Confrontation
The shocking video, circulating widely online, appears to show federal officers violently subduing 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti during an enforcement operation on the city's south side early Saturday morning. The footage captures agents roughly grabbing protesters, pushing them over, and deploying pepper spray before the fatal confrontation.
Witnesses React in Horror
Moments after the shooting, witnesses at the scene can be heard screaming in horror, with one woman recording the confrontation from just yards away shouting "what are you doing?" and "what the f*** have you done?" as the man lay wounded on the ground. Pretti was struck multiple times and later pronounced dead at a local hospital, despite federal officials claiming he was armed with a handgun and ammunition.
Geographic and Emotional Proximity to Previous Shooting
The incident has drawn fierce comparisons to the killing of Renée Good earlier this month, a 37-year-old mother fatally shot by an ICE agent during an interaction near residential streets. The latest shooting occurred just over a mile away from where Good was killed, amplifying community anger and creating what protesters describe as a pattern of excessive force by federal immigration agents.
Official Responses and Community Reaction
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed the deceased was a US citizen, while federal officials maintained agents opened fire in self-defence when Pretti resisted attempts to disarm him. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the operation as "sickening" and called for an end to the surge of immigration agents in the city.
Protesters gathered near the scene on Saturday, shouting at agents and clashing with law enforcement as tensions boiled over, prompting authorities to deploy crowd-control measures. Civil liberties advocates have highlighted troubling similarities between the two episodes, both involving federal officers killing civilians during enforcement actions captured on video.
Calls for Investigation and Accountability
The incident has prompted renewed calls for federal withdrawal from Minneapolis and independent investigations into ICE's use of force. The US Department of Homeland Security has stated it is reviewing the incident and will release further details as they become available, while community organisations demand greater transparency and accountability for what they describe as a disturbing pattern of violence.
This latest shooting comes just weeks after Good's death was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner, sparking large protests and legal challenges to federal agents' tactics. The emotional and geographic proximity of the two incidents has created what community leaders describe as a crisis of confidence in federal immigration enforcement operations within Minneapolis neighbourhoods.
