Segun Atanda/
Eyewitness video circulating online appears to contradict the United States government’s account of a fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, pitching official claims against bystander perspectives and drawing local leaders into a fierce dispute over what happened.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officers were conducting a targeted operation in south Minneapolis when they were confronted by an armed individual.
“An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” DHS said in a statement on Saturday.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted … Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”
Medics on scene delivered aid, but the individual was later pronounced dead, the department said.
According to DHS, the man had no identification but was carrying two magazines.
However, multiple videos shared on social media and verified by outlets such as The New York Times show a markedly different sequence of events.
In one clip recorded by bystanders, a group of federal agents are seen wrestling a man identified as 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, to the ground before shots ring out.
Analysts observing the footage have noted that at least one officer appears to take an object from the man before more shots are fired.
Minneapolis Police Chief, Brian O’Hara, told reporters the man was believed to be a U.S. citizen and lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and that his only known prior interactions with law enforcement were minor traffic matters.
“We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry,” O’Hara said.
Pretti’s family has confirmed he was a registered nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, with colleagues and relatives remembering him as a compassionate caregiver.
The federal government’s characterisation of events has been sharply disputed by Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey.
Governor Walz described the incident as “sickening” and said state authorities would push for their own investigation, asserting local officials had been initially blocked from accessing the scene.
The governor also activated the Minnesota National Guard in response to escalating tensions.
Mayor Frey called for calm but stressed accountability.
“Let state investigators secure justice,” he said, adding that Minnesota had “had it” with the presence and tactics of federal immigration agents in the city.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the site of the shooting on Saturday, with demonstrations intensifying an already tense atmosphere in the city.
Police have used crowd-management tactics, and there have been multiple clashes between local residents and federal officers.
This incident marks at least the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis in recent weeks and comes amid the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts in the region.
Earlier in January, an ICE agent killed a 37-year-old woman named Renée Good, a shooting that also sparked national controversy and protests.
Federal authorities have said the latest operation was part of broader efforts to target individuals with violent criminal histories, but local leaders argue the deployment of immigration agents has exacerbated public safety concerns without sufficient transparency.
As investigations continue, Minneapolis officials emphasise the need for independent review and full release of all footage and evidence from the scene.
Federal and state authorities have yet to jointly agree on a unified investigative path forward.
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