Authorities have identified the man fatally shot during an encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis over the weekend as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37. The shooting occurred Saturday morning during a federal immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol agents were conducting targeted enforcement activity when they encountered Pretti. Law enforcement officials said Pretti was armed with a handgun and two magazines at the time of the incident.
Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital, according to officials and family members. His death has drawn significant public attention and sparked protests near the scene of the shooting later Saturday, prompting a law enforcement response to maintain order.
Officials said a physical struggle followed as agents attempted to disarm Pretti. During that confrontation, at least one agent fired shots, striking Pretti. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
FBI Director Kash Patel retweeted a statement from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who blamed the incident on Minnesota Democrats for continuing to gaslight the public about what federal agents are doing there.
“A federal investigation is ongoing but make no mistake – this avoidable tragedy is a result of the total failure of Minnesota’s city and state officials who have resisted federal law enforcement and created this escalation,” Blanche began.
“Federal officers are tasked with the difficult jobs of removing criminal illegal aliens from American communities. State and local politicians – and police – should be helping, not hindering, this effort,” he said.
“The Department of Justice will continue to hold those breaking federal law accountable, including those who harass and violently attack law enforcement in the name of protest.”
Meanwhile, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said in a briefing that agents were conducting a targeted operation when Pretti approached officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him.
Efforts to disarm the individual and force him to the ground reportedly escalated before at least one agent fired defensive shots. Medical aid was rendered at the scene, but Pretti was pronounced dead. Officials also noted that Pretti was carrying two loaded magazines and had no accessible identification.
The incident, Bovino said, took place at 9:05 a.m. local time, when “DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien” whose criminal history “includes domestic assault to intentionally inflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.”
“The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted,” said Bovino. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots.”
He added that medics on the scene “immediately delivered medical aid to the subject, but the subject was pronounced dead” there.
Bovino also described a volatile scene in which “about 200 rioters arrived” and “began to obstruct and assault law enforcement.”
The man that was killed, Bovino said, “also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID.”
“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” he stressed.
After the shooting, Bovino said, “about 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement.”
“Crowd control measures have been deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement,” he continued. “This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.”
Local authorities and protesters have raised questions about the circumstances of the shooting, and videos of the incident circulated on social media. Some local leaders have called for further review, while others described the involvement of federal agents as part of a broader immigration enforcement initiative.
The shooting comes amid intensified federal immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota under the Trump administration, part of what DHS has described as a surge operation targeting illegal aliens in the region.
