Sworn Witness Accounts Of Alex Pretti Killing Differ Sharply From DHS

On Jan 26, 2026

Witnesses to a fatal shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday disputed Department of Homeland Security’s claims the victim brandished a gun at federal immigration agents before being killed.

The accounts come from a pair of sworn affidavits filed to federal court late Saturday as part of a lawsuit asking an appeals court to reinstate an order barring immigration forces from retaliating against protestors in Minneapolis, where two people have been killed by immigration forces in the past three weeks.

One Minneapolis resident described seeing the deceased, who was later identified as 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, directing traffic before agents forced him and two others to the sidewalk and pepper sprayed them.

Pretti tried to help a female observer off the ground when he was pushed down, swarmed by multiple agents and repeatedly shot at.

Federal agents stand near police tape as demonstrators gather near the site of where state and local authorities say a man was shot by federal agents earlier in the morning in Minneapolis on Saturday. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said federal agents deployed in Minneapolis as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown had carried out "another horrific shooting," less than three weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good. — Federal agents stand near police tape as demonstrators gather near the site of where state and local authorities say a man was shot by federal agents earlier in the morning in Minneapolis on Saturday. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said federal agents deployed in Minneapolis as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown had carried out “another horrific shooting,” less than three weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good.

A photograph of 37-year-old Alex Pretti can be seen at a makeshift memorial in the area where he was shot dead by federal immigration agents earlier in the day in Minneapolis on Saturday. This is the second fatal shooting of a civilian during the Trump administration's unprecedented operation in the city, sparking fresh protests and outrage from state officials. Pretti's death came less than three weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer. — A photograph of 37-year-old Alex Pretti can be seen at a makeshift memorial in the area where he was shot dead by federal immigration agents earlier in the day in Minneapolis on Saturday. This is the second fatal shooting of a civilian during the Trump administration’s unprecedented operation in the city, sparking fresh protests and outrage from state officials. Pretti’s death came less than three weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer.

“I don’t know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him,” attested the witness, who also provided a recording of the incident as part of her statement.

A second account from a 29-year-old Minneapolis resident identified as a licensed pediatrician said they witnessed the shooting from inside their apartment, where they said they saw “absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers.”

Pretti, a licensed gun owner, had a holstered firearm on his person at the time of the incident, in compliance with Minnesota’s open carry laws.

The witness headed outside to the scene and offered medical assistance, seeing that none of the agents were checking for a pulse or administering CPR, as is “standard practice,” according to the statement.

People mourn at a makeshift memorial in the area where Pretti was shot.

They were initially blocked by agents, mirroring the experience of another physician who was stopped from providing aid to Renee Good after she was shot by Immigrations and Custom Enforcement agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

“Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him,” the witness to Pretti’s shooting said.

Finally allowed to approach the scene, the physician found the victim had at least four gunshot wounds and no pulse. They initiated CPR before emergency medical services arrived and took over.

In both statements, the witnesses said they were afraid to return to their residences following the shooting.

The bystander who recorded the incident said they feared agents would arrest them, something they claimed had happened to other witnesses.

“I don’t know what the agents will do when they find me,” their statement read. “I do know that they’re not telling the truth about what happened.”

DHS has maintained that the federal officers fired “defensive shots” at Pretti, who they claim was brandishing a gun at officers and then “violently resisted” arrest.