The second fatal shooting this month of a US citizen in Minneapolis by a federal agent has exacerbated tensions in the city once again — and led to disputed accounts of what happened.
Alex Pretty, 37, an intensive care unit nurse at a Virginia hospital, was shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning.
Tear gas is drawn during clashes between federal agents and community members at the scene of a shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 24, 2026.
Tim Evans/Reuters
DHS alleges that Pretty approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and when officers attempted to disarm him, he “violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of his fellow officers, one of the agents fired defensive shots,” the Department of Homeland Security said.
Local officials objected to this characterization of events and criticized federal officials, accusing them of rushing to “spin” the story.
The Minneapolis police chief said Pretty had a licensed handgun. Minnesota gun laws Allows Open carry of a handgun as long as the gun owner has a valid permit.
Videos of the confrontation showed the encounter between Preeti and the officers. During the standoff, federal agents were seen spraying Pretty with a substance and pinning him to the ground before opening fire.
This screenshot from a video shows the scene moments before the shooting in Minneapolis, on January 24, 2025.
Obtained by ABC News
Pretty was one of three people sprayed by agents with pepper spray, and was trying to help a woman to her feet when the agents confronted him, a witness said in a federal court filing.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino claimed, without providing further evidence, that Prete arrived at the scene to “cause as much harm to the individuals as possible” and Noem told reporters that his actions amounted to “domestic terrorism.”
“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation conducted by federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. These are the facts.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the National Response Coordination Center at FEMA headquarters on January 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Federal immigration agents shot and killed another U.S. citizen on Saturday morning, later identified as Alex Peretti, during operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Al Drago/Getty Images
Despite reporters’ question, Bovino and Neum did not answer when asked if Preity had brandished the gun before the confrontation.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized federal officials, saying, before any investigation was completed, “the most powerful people in the federal government are spinning stories.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a press conference on January 24, 2026.
KSTP
State and local officials say they will conduct their own investigations into the shooting and have repeated their calls to the federal government Immigration agents to leave the city.
