U.S. Federal Agents gun down ICU Nurse in Minneapolis Street clash horror

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen identified as Alex Pretti in Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood on Saturday morning, sparking immediate protests and renewed criticism of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration operations in the city.

Pretti, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, was fatally shot multiple times during a confrontation involving U.S. Border Patrol and possibly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel.

According to PBS NewsHour, Pretti’s parents identified him as the victim, describing him as a dedicated healthcare worker.

NBC News reports that the incident occurred just before 9 a.m. local time after a heated exchange between agents and protesters opposing the government’s immigration enforcement actions.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that Pretti was armed and resisting arrest, justifying the agents’ use of lethal force, as stated in CNN’s coverage of the event.

Eyewitness videos circulating on social media and obtained by outlets including The Guardian appear to show the moments leading up to the shooting, with one clip capturing what seems to be Pretti intervening during a physical altercation involving agents and a woman.

Reuters notes that this marks the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month, following the January 7 death of Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, killed by an ICE agent during a separate operation.

CNN and other sources report that the latest incident quickly escalated into clashes, with dozens of masked federal officers deploying tear gas to disperse crowds.

Protesters gathered at the scene, condemning what they describe as excessive force amid the largest immigration enforcement push in recent history targeting sanctuary-leaning cities.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shooting, calling it “sickening” and urging calm while expressing distrust in federal self-investigations, as quoted by MPR News.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has repeatedly called for federal agents to withdraw from the city. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has been denied full access to the scene and evidence by federal authorities, complicating state-level inquiries, according to CBS News Minnesota.

The shootings have heightened tensions in Minneapolis, a city with a significant immigrant population, where federal operations have drawn lawsuits and widespread demonstrations.

NPR highlights that the video-recorded nature of the Pretti incident has amplified public outrage, echoing patterns seen in prior high-profile cases.