US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, officials said, marking the second fatal shooting of a civilian in the city.
The victim was a white male US citizen from Minnesota who was a lawful gun owner with no criminal record, Minneapolis police said.
A senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation identified the man as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, according to the New York Times.
The death came less than three weeks after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen and mother of three, was killed by an ICE officer during a federal operation in Minneapolis.
The detention of a five-year-old boy alongside his father in the city earlier this week has also sparked public outrage.
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Investigation contradicts Homeland Security version of events
The Department of Homeland Security said the man was “armed with a gun” and its officers fired in “self-defence” as he “violently resisted.”
Several videos circulating on social media appear to show several agents, including at least one in a vest marked “Police” and others in masks and tactical gear, grappling with a man on a snow-covered street before he falls to the ground and gunfire is heard.
Bellingcat, an open-source investigative journalism group that analysed footage of the shooting, said “a video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired.”
Moments before the first shot is fired, this federal agent can be seen retreating with a gun. It appears to match the general appearance of the firearm posted by DHS, including the red dot sight. This agent’s back is turned when the first shot occurs. x.com/BillMelugin_…
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— Bellingcat (@bellingcat.com) 24 Ocak 2026 22:01
In a series of social media posts on Bluesky, the group said that “Two different agents are visibly firing their guns, with at least 10 shots being heard in total,” the group said, adding that most of the shots were fired when the man is already lying motionless on the ground.
Governor demands state investigation
The killing sparked fresh protests in the city and outraged the state officials.
The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, called the shooting “horrific” and demanded that state authorities lead the investigation, saying the federal government “cannot be trusted to lead this investigation.”
In a post on X, Walz also called on US President Donald Trump to “pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.”
I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.
The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 24, 2026
Mayor Jacob Frey also commented on the shooting, saying that “a great American city is being invaded by its own federal government.”
“How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” he asked.
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar described the shooting as “an execution” and said President Trump has turned Minneapolis into a “war zone.”
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to Minneapolis as the Trump administration intensifies its nationwide campaign to detain and deport undocumented migrants.
