Protests erupt in Minneapolis after Border Patrol agent fatally shoots civilian

A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a 37-year-old civilian in south Minneapolis the morning of Jan. 24 after the man reportedly approached law enforcement officers with a gun and resisted efforts to disarm him, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

AP News reported that the man was identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse who had joined in protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an agent fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis Jan. 7.

DHS said Pretti approached Border Patrol officers while carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun during a targeted operation “against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.” According to the post, a struggle ensued when officers tried to disarm Pretti and he “violently resisted.”

“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS stated.

According to DHS, Pretti was carrying two magazines at the time of the incident but did not have an ID with him. AP News reported that Pretti’s family said he owned a handgun and had a Minnesota concealed carry permit.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the scene, requiring law enforcement to deploy tear gas and flashbang grenades for crowd control, Reuters reported. According to Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, one of the rioters attacked a law enforcement officer and bit off a finger.

The shooting and protests follow weeks of demonstrations and heightened criticism of federal enforcement operations tension in Minnesota following Good’s death.

The event also ignited a social media firestorm and renewed tensions between Minnesota politicians and the federal government that had risen after Good’s death. In an X post, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he spoke with the White House following the “horrific shooting” and added, “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.”

“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz continued. 

On Truth Social, President Donald Trump accused Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.” He added that Walz and Frey had called off local police, leaving ICE agents to protect themselves, a statement that Vice President JD Vance echoed in a post on X.

“When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand,” he wrote. “The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests.”

Bystander video posted to social media has drawn public speculation as to whether the agent was justified in opening fire, with some sources claiming Pretti had been disarmed by the time of the shooting.

According to DHS, more information is forthcoming. 

This is a developing story.