ICE shooting latest: ‘American citizen’ shot and killed by federal agents in another Minneapolis shooting
Footage of the incident appeared to show multiple law enforcement officers struggling with a man on the ground before a gunshot is heard
The man shot and killed by federal agents Saturday morning in Minneapolis was a 37-year-old “American citizen,” authorities have said.
The city’s chief, Brian O’Hara, confirmed the man had died following the incident, describing him as a white male and a resident of Minnesota.
The man was also a “lawful gun owner” with a permit to carry the weapon, O’Hara said, adding that the victim’s name was known to police but would yet be released.
Footage of the incident appeared to show multiple law enforcement officers struggling with a man on the ground before around ten gunshots are fired. The man then falls still.
In a press conference shortly after, Mayor Jacob Frey blasted the “political and partisan” narrative driving the immigration operations.
“How many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” he said. “How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?”
It has been just over two weeks since 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an altercation. Days later, a Venezuelan man was also shot in the leg while attempting to escape immigration officials.
Trump questions Minneapolis victim's alleged loaded gun: 'What is that all about?'
Addressing Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis for the first time Saturday, President Donald Trump claimed the man shot in the incident had a loaded gun with two extra magazines, and questioned why local police weren’t allowed to protect ICE officers.
Read the full story here.
Border patrol union defends agents after Minneapolis shooting
Members of the national Border Patrol union defended federal agents on X Saturday hours after federal agents fatally shot a Minneapolis man.
“Border Patrol agents are trained extremely well to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and innocent third parties. When a supposed “peaceful” protester brings a weapon (such as a loaded handgun) and brandishes it, there are going to severe consequences and repercussions. We have pleaded with and warned the media and the politicians that their irresponsible, hate-filled and false rhetoric is going to get people unnecessarily hurt, or worse, killed when they portray our agents and officers as the aggressors.”
“They have encouraged these reckless confrontations and attacks on our agents and officers who are performing their lawful duties and enforcing the laws that Congress has put on the books. The fake and dishonest media and the shameless politicians should be held accountable for willfully misleading the public and enticing these protesters and agitators.”
“We have full confidence that when more facts are revealed, our agents and officers will be shown to have utilized justifiable force in eliminating the threat.”
Saturday's shooting likely to escalate tensions in Minneapolis
Saturday’s shooting is likely to provoke growing outrage in a city that has fiercely resisted a surge of federal officers.
Last week, the Pentagon was reportedly preparing more than 1,500 troops for possible deployment to Minnesota following President Donald Trump’s recent threats to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress protests against his nationwide mass deportation campaign.
The surge is Homeland Security’s largest immigration enforcement operation yet. Secretary Kristi Noem says officers have made 10,000 arrests, while officers have been accused of violently targeting immigrants and citizens alike and facing off against protesters in violent clashes.
Minnesota officials have also sued the administration to stop the surge, alleging the operation is a politically motivated and unconstitutional attack on the state.
The Justice Department, meanwhile, has launched a criminal investigation into Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democratic officials in the state, which the Trump administration has accused of obstructing operations. Officials there have roundly rejected the allegations and defended their response to what the mayor has called “chaos and danger” brought on the city by the Trump administration.
A federal judge blocked federal officers from “retaliating” against protesters and firing riot control weapons into crowds demonstrating against the administration’s operations, but an appeals court temporarily blocked the order last week as the legal challenge continues.
Over a dozen federal immigration shootings since Trump returned to office, 5 killed
Federal immigration officers have fired on people more than a dozen times since Donald Trump returned to the presidency last year, killing at least five people, including today’s shooting of a 37-year-old in Minneapolis.
At least 16 shooting incidents by federal officers within the last year include the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired three shots into her car at close range, striking her in the face. Two days later, Customs and Border Patrol officers in Oregon shot and injured two people accused of “weaponizing” a car against them.
At least seven people have been injured in other shooting incidents over the last year.
In at least 15 other incidents, federal immigration officers held people at gunpoint but didn’t shoot, and there have been countless deployments of riot control weapons such as rubber bullets, pepper balls and chemical sprays, including at point-blank range.
The Independent’s review of federal records and an analysis from The Trace likely represent an undercount, as thousands of officers continue to surge into largely Democratic-led cities across the country to support Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Shooting victim identified: Report
Two people familiar with the situation told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the man shot by federal officers in Minneapolis is Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, but they spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share official details.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a news conference that the person who was shot was a 37‑year‑old white man with no serious criminal history and was a “lawful gun owner” who held permission to carry.
Omar blames Trump for turning Minnesota into a 'warzone'
In a post on X reacting to Saturday’s shooting, Minnesota rep Ilhan Omar accused Donald Trump of turning the state into a “warzone.”
“This isn’t isolated or accidental. The Trump administration is trying to beat us into submission rather than protect us. This administration cannot continue violating constitutional rights under the guise of immigration enforcement,” she said.
“ICE and CBP must leave Minnesota immediately. Their presence is terrorizing our communities, violating rights, and taking lives with zero accountability.
“Minnesota was once a place of refuge, and Trump has turned it into a war zone where unchecked federal forces murder our neighbors.”
Ilhan Omar says shooting was 'an execution'
Minnesota rep. Ilhan Omar has described the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minneapolis as “an execution by immigration enforcement.”
“I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community. It is beyond shameful these federal agents are targeting our residents instead of protecting them,” she wrote on X.
Chief urges people 'please do not destroy our own city'
Speaking to reporters, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara urged citizens to remain peaceful and to “not destroy our city.”
“We recognize that there's a lot of anger and a lot of questions around what has happened, but we need people to remain peaceful in the area, we have an unlawful assembly at this time,” he said.
“Minneapolis Police have given multiple warnings for the crowd to disperse. We are asking for people to avoid the area and to leave if you are there... we ask everyone to remain calm and to please do not destroy our own City.”
Victim was 'lawful gun owner' with permit to carry, police chief says
Police chief Brian O’Hara said that the victim of Saturday’s shooting was a “lawful gun owner” with a permit to carry the firearm.
Speaking to reporters he said the man, who is yet to be named, had only interacted with law enforcement previously over “traffic tickets.”
“What I can tell you is we have identified this person, 37-year-old white male resident of the city, the only interaction that we are aware of with law enforcement has been for traffic tickets, and we believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry,” O’Hara said.
Responding to a statement from the DHS which claimed the armed suspect approached law enforcement officers, police chief Brian O’Hara said details were still being established.
“We have since seen a video that is circulating online like 1000s of other people have at this time, so we do not know what happened prior to the recording that is on online right now.”
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