Several bystander videos of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday are raising fresh questions and challenging parts of the sequence of events described by U.S. government officials.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, is the second person to be shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis this month, as President Donald Trump’s administration continues an immigration crackdown that has triggered widespread backlash.
Newsweek reviewed videos filmed by people close to the encounter, as well as footage from across the street and farther down the sidewalk, to reconstruct what happened before and after the shooting.
Before the shooting
U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino described as a “targeted operation” near East 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis at around 9 a.m. CT on January 24.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.”
In the videos, Pretti appears to be standing in the roadway with a cellphone raised, recording federal agents as whistles sound in the background. Wearing light brown trousers and a slightly darker coat, he briefly gestures toward an approaching dark-colored vehicle.
Footage from a vehicle dashboard appears to show a federal agent pushing Pretti backward during the interaction. In multiple angles, a phone can be seen in his hand, and the clips do not clearly show a gun.
The videos also show an agent shoving at least one bystander. Pretti then moves toward the people being pushed, appearing to intervene. Moments later, an agent appears to deploy a chemical spray toward Pretti. He is then taken to the ground as additional agents rush in.
In one recording, an eyewitness can be heard shouting that agents are hitting and kicking someone during the struggle.
At a press conference, Bovino said agents tried to disarm Pretti but that he “violently resisted,” a claim echoed by Noem and DHS statements.
During the struggle, one agent—wearing a gray jacket and cap—can be seen approaching the group with empty hands and then walking away holding a gun. His movements appear in multiple videos from different angles.
Before the agent in the gray jacket and cap walks away, another agent—wearing a green jacket and a black balaclava—appears from a different angle to unholster a gun, though it is not clear who fired first.
“I believe it’s highly likely the first shot was a negligent discharge from the agent in the gray jacket,” said Rob Doar, an attorney and president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, who analyzed the videos in a series of X posts.
The shooting
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday that his department received reports of a shooting at approximately 9:03 a.m.
In one video, at least four gunshots can be heard as Pretti falls. Additional shots follow while he lies unmoving. Another recording captures at least 10 shots. In several clips, bystanders can be heard swearing and reacting in shock.
DHS said the agent who shot Pretti feared for his life and fired “defensive shots.”
At least two videos appear to show an agent in a black balaclava pointing a gun toward Pretti. Another clip appears to show a different agent—wearing a brown hat and a brown rucksack—also aiming a gun at him.
Immediate aftermath
The videos show agents initially backing away as Pretti lies motionless. Some then appear to attempt first aid or CPR while bystanders yell for medical help. DHS said: “Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
More than 100 people gathered at the site soon after, chanting and confronting federal agents. Tear gas and stun grenades were reportedly used against demonstrators.
What officials said
O’Hara said Pretti had a legal permit to carry a gun.
Bovino said Pretti was carrying two loaded magazines and did not have easily accessible identification. A DHS statement added: “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Noem did not say whether Pretti was brandishing a gun at the time, saying only that he was “armed.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker that he did not know whether Pretti had been disarmed before he was shot, adding that “nobody else knows, either.”
Noem said Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.”
Frey said Saturday that “the chaos that we are seeing is caused directly by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], border control and this federal administration.”
Minnesota Democratic Representative Kelly Morrison said: “We are once again now being asked to deny what we saw with our own eyes.”
“I’ve seen the videos, from several angles, and it’s sickening,” Walz said, accusing the administration of inventing “nonsense” and “lies.”
Pretti’s parents said they were “heartbroken but also very angry,” adding: “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”
“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs,” Michael and Susan Pretti said.
What happens next
Minnesota officials have filed a lawsuit and sought a temporary restraining order aimed at preventing Trump officials from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting.
Walz said Saturday that the state justice system “must have the last word,” adding: “As I told the White House in no uncertain terms this morning, the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation.”
He called on Trump to “remove” federal immigration enforcement agents from Minnesota, arguing their presence was “sowing chaos and violence.”
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures that the agency was examining “physical evidence” from the scene.
