Did Alex Pretti have a gun? What Trump administration said to defend Minneapolis shooting
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Did Alex Pretti have a gun? What Trump administration said to defend Minneapolis shooting")
People mourn at a makeshift memorial in the area where 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal immigration agents earlier in the day in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
The killing of Alex Pretti by a federal agent during immigration protests in Minneapolis has sparked outrage as the Trump administration defended the official, but videos shared online suggested otherwise.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot dead by a US federal agent during protests against US President Donald Trump’s crackdown against immigration. Several pieces of footage of the incident captured by the bystanders are being circulated on social media. Following the fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Department of Homeland Security defended the Border Patrol agents who fired at Pretti by calling him an “armed” and “violent” suspect. However, the shooting has sparked outrage among the public as none of the videos shared online showed Pretti wielding a weapon.
The shooting is the third in the state of Minnesota, and the second fatal one after Renee Good was shot in the head by ICE agents on January 7. The Trump administration defended the incident by describing the shooting as a response to “an act of domestic terrorism”. In another incident, a Minneapolis resident was shot in the leg by an ICE agent on Wednesday (Jan 14).
What did videos reveal?
In the videos, Pretti can be seen recording with his phone as federal agents push a woman away and push another person to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and the woman, but the officer pepper sprays him. Pretti is then forced onto his knees and arms by several agents. One of the officers is seen pulling an item from Pretti’s waistband and quickly moves away. Amid the scuffle, an officer points a handgun at Pretti’s back and fires four shots as he falls to the ground. Several more shots are heard as another agent appears to shoot at Pretti. All agents initially back away as his body lies still on the road, then some of them try to offer medical assistance.
Meanwhile, Pretti’s family said he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They added that they had never known him to carry it.
What did Trump administration say?
The Department of Homeland Security said that Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, without specifying whether he brandished the gun. In the videos circulated on social media, he is seen with a phone in his hand, but none appear to show a visible weapon with him.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement after the shooting. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.” She added that medics attempted to aid Pretti, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.
During a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that Pretti was believed to be a lawful gunowner and had a permit to carry.
US President Donald Trump and other federal officials posted a photo of a gun belonging to Pretti on social media. McLaughlin pointed out that the gun had two magazines, claiming it looked like “a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
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Apart from the fact that Pretti owned a gun, the Trump administration has not provided any clear evidence that would suggest that he was a threat to anyone.
