Widespread protests erupted across major U.S. cities, including Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Providence, and Washington D.C., following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. Pretti, a registered nurse and U.S. citizen working at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, was shot multiple times during an interaction with law enforcement, sparking outrage against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The demonstrations intensified after thousands had already marched in Minneapolis against ICE. Protesters, braving extreme cold, voiced their anger, chanted slogans like “Fuck ICE, ICE out” and “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE!”, and demanded justice for Pretti and Renee Good, another Minneapolis resident killed by an immigration officer earlier in the month. New York City council member Chi Ossé notably called for the abolishment of ICE, stating, “We need Nuremberg trials for the people of ICE, for the people who are committing crimes against humanity here in our country.”

Conflicting accounts emerged regarding the circumstances of Pretti's shooting. Senior Trump administration officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, claimed Pretti “approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun” and violently resisted attempts to disarm him, with Bovino suggesting Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement.” Donald Trump himself referred to an image of a handgun as “the gunman’s gun.”

However, this official narrative was directly contradicted by multiple video recordings from witnesses and sworn affidavits. Video evidence, reviewed by various media outlets, showed Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, while recording the immigration enforcement operation. Pretti appeared to intervene when another observer was shoved to the ground by a federal officer, after which he was sprayed with a chemical agent, repeatedly, and then tackled by agents.

Footage captured by several witnesses indicated that after Pretti was wrestled to the ground by multiple agents, one officer reached toward his lower back and then stepped away with what appeared to be a gun. Immediately after, an agent shouted “Gun! Gun!” and less than a second later, another agent drew a gun and fired a shot from close range. A volley of ten additional shots followed as agents stepped back. Independent analysis of the video suggested agents might have opened fire moments after Pretti had been disarmed of a gun he was legally permitted to carry but had not brandished during the encounter.

Despite the available video evidence clearly showing Pretti without a gun in his hand prior to being tackled, Noem reiterated the administration’s story, falsely claiming Pretti was an “armed suspect” who was “brandishing” a weapon. Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara, however, confirmed that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, consistent with Minnesota law which does not require concealed carry.

Pretti's parents vehemently denounced the administration's claims, stating they were “heartbroken but also very angry.” They called the lies “reprehensible and disgusting,” asserting that their son was holding his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand was raised while trying to protect a woman when he was attacked and pepper-sprayed. Witnesses, including a physician and the woman who recorded video from behind Pretti, also denied in federal court affidavits that Pretti ever held or brandished a weapon, stating he approached agents with a camera.

Protesters in Minneapolis continued to converge at the shooting scene despite dangerously cold weather, gathering quietly by a growing memorial. They carried signs reading “Justice for Alex Pretti” and chanted the names of Pretti and Good, reflecting a deep sense of frustration and anger within the community over the incident and the conduct of federal agents.