Cops shoot nurse dead at Minneapolis immigration protest; he was a US citizen
The killing of the 37-year-old US citizen during an immigration crackdown has sparked fresh protests as President Trump and local leaders trade barbs
Federal immigration officers in the US shot dead a man in Minneapolis on Saturday (January 24), drawing hundreds of protesters in a city already shaken by another fatal shooting weeks earlier.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a 37-year-old man was killed but declined to identify him. However, the man was identified by his parents as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers were conducting an operation as part of the Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
Also read: US protests: Thousands march in Minneapolis over fatal ICE shooting
O'Hara said police believe the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry”. The officer who shot the man is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran, federal officials said.
Trump weighed in on social media by lashing out at Minnesota’s governor and the Minneapolis mayor.
Trump shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered and said: “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren't they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”
Video shows officers, man who was shot
In a video captured by a bystander, protesters can be heard blowing whistles and shouting profanities at agents on Nicollet Avenue.
Later in that video, three officers can be seen surrounding a man, presumably Pretti. Soon, at least seven officers surround the man. One is on his back, and another, who appears to have a cannister in his hand, strikes a blow to the man’s chest.
Also read: Indian-origin woman arrested in US during Green Card interview
Several officers try to bring the man’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly visible on camera. The officer with the cannister strikes the man near his head several times.
A shot rings out, but with officers surrounding the man, it’s not clear from where the shot came. Multiple officers back off after the shot. More shots are heard. Officers back away and the man lies motionless on the street.
Man who was killed was a nurse and a US citizen
Family members said Pretti was an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in his city.
“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. “He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.”
Pretti was a US citizen, born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a couple of traffic tickets.
Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.
Protests continue in Minneapolis
The shooting happened amid widespread daily protests in the Twin Cities since the Jan 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was killed when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired into her vehicle. Saturday’s shooting unfolded just over a mile away from where Good was shot.
Also read: Trump offers $3,000 and free flights for Illegal immigrants to self-deport
After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.”
Agents elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car. Protesters dragged garbage dumpsters from alleyways to block the streets, and people who gathered chanted, “ICE out now,” referring to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash bangs on the crowd.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara appealed for calm, both from the public and from federal law enforcement.
Democrats express outrage
Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz said he had been in contact with the White House after the shooting. He urged Trump to end what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation.
Minnesota Sen Amy Klobuchar expressed outrage at the shooting.
Also read: Row erupts after US influencer mocks death of Indian-origin man in Canada
“Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota,” Klobuchar said in a message posted on X.
(With agency inputs)