The man fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning has been publicly identified by local media sources as Alex Jeffrey Pretti. According to reports from the Star Tribune, Pretti was the individual killed following an altercation involving multiple officers from federal agencies.
Details of the Fatal Encounter
Minneapolis police have officially described the deceased as a 37-year-old white male, a United States citizen who was native to the city. The Department of Homeland Security provided further details to the Daily Mail, stating that the individual was armed at the time of his detention, carrying two magazines. Federal authorities later released a photograph of a nine-millimetre semi-automatic handgun which they confirmed was recovered from Pretti during the clash.
Video footage from the scene depicts federal agents wrestling with the man and taking him to the ground. The chaotic incident unfolded shortly after 9:00 AM near Glam Doll Donuts at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
Federal Agents' Account and Immediate Aftermath
The Department of Homeland Security explained that its agents were in the area with the intention of apprehending an individual described as an illegal alien wanted for violent assault. According to their statement, the deceased approached the officers, and when they attempted to disarm him, he violently resisted. This resistance culminated in him being shot by a Border Patrol agent.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, as confirmed by officials during a subsequent press briefing. DHS also noted that he was not carrying any form of identification at the time. In the wake of the shooting, federal agents were seen deploying tear gas as protests began to mount among bystanders.
A Pattern of Violence in Minneapolis
This tragic event represents the third shooting incident involving federal agents in Minneapolis within a matter of recent weeks. It follows the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7th, and another incident approximately a week later where a federal agent wounded a different man.
The killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti was met with immediate and vocal protest. Bystanders gathered at the scene, screaming profanities at the federal officers, labelling them as cowards and demanding they leave the area. The city has been experiencing increasingly tense protests since the death of Renee Nicole Good, a US citizen, earlier in the month.
Political Reaction and Broader Context
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a strong statement on Saturday via social media platform X, condemning what he termed another horrific shooting by federal agents. He expressed the state's frustration, stating, Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. Governor Walz called directly on the President to end the federal operation and withdraw the thousands of agents deployed to the state.
This deployment is part of a wider national immigration enforcement campaign, which has seen thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent to the Democratic-led city of Minneapolis. The operation aligns with broader federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants across the United States.
An autopsy conducted on Renee Nicole Good concluded that her death was a homicide, a medical classification that indicates death at the hands of another but does not automatically imply criminal wrongdoing. The ICE officer involved in that shooting, Jonathan Ross, has neither been suspended nor faced criminal charges in connection with the incident.
