By Our Reporter
MINNESOTA (CONVERSEER) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has again sharply criticised the deployment of federal immigration agents in his state following the fatal shooting of a 37‑year‑old man by U.S. law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, calling for an end to the operation and the removal of federal agents.
According to SaharaReporters, the incident, which occurred on Saturday, January 24, 2026, saw a federal agent shoot and kill Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, during an immigration enforcement action in the city’s south side. Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, authorities confirmed.
The shooting is the latest deadly encounter involving federal officers in Minneapolis this month, coming less than three weeks after another federal agent shot and killed Renee Good on January 7 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation.
On Sunday, Governor Walz demanded that federal forces be withdrawn from Minnesota.
“Minnesota believes in law and order,” Walz said. ”We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street.”
The shooting has reignited tensions in Minneapolis, where immigration crackdowns have already sparked daily protests and public scrutiny of federal law enforcement tactics.
Officials and community members have expressed concern about the escalation of force and questioned the appropriateness of federal operations in the city.
The circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death remain under review, and local authorities have said they are examining details of the incident. Federal homeland security officials have defended the actions of their personnel, but state leaders maintain that an independent inquiry led by Minnesota investigators is necessary.
The dispute highlights deepening conflict between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement strategies and the use of armed federal personnel in local communities.
Reacting to the killing on Saturday, Walz described the federal operation as a campaign of violence.
“This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” Walz said at a news conference in Saint Paul. “It’s a campaign of organised brutality against the people of our state. And today, that campaign claimed another life.”
Walz added that Minnesota would handle the investigation into Pretti’s death.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, claimed that a Border Patrol agent shot a person who had a handgun and resisted efforts to be disarmed.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agent fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached officers and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him. Federal officials said the agent involved is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran.
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President Trump responded on social media, attacking Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Sharing images of a gun that immigration officials said was recovered at the scene, Trump wrote, “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”
Trump further accused the Democratic governor and mayor of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric”.
However, bystander videos circulating online contradict the official narrative.
In the footage, Pretti is seen standing in the street filming federal agents with his mobile phone. One agent appears to deploy pepper spray at Pretti and other protesters. As Pretti tries to block the spray and assist others, several agents wrestle him to the ground and strike him repeatedly on the head and body.
While agents pin him to the ground, one officer draws a weapon and multiple shots are fired. Pretti’s body is later seen lying motionless in the street.
Open-source investigation group Bellingcat said footage of the shooting “appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired”.
“Two different agents are visibly firing their guns, with at least 10 shots being heard in total. Most of them are fired after a brief delay, when the man is already lying motionless on the ground,” the group said.
Police Chief O’Hara said investigators believe Pretti was “a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry”. Minnesota law allows open carry of firearms with a permit.
Pretti’s family, in a statement released Saturday evening, said they are “heartbroken but also very angry” and described him as a kind-hearted person who wanted to make a difference through his work as a nurse.
“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. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed,” the family said.
The killing has intensified calls for the immediate withdrawal of heavily armed federal agents from Minneapolis as protests continue to rock the city.
