Minneapolis shooting and the emerging details that the man killed was reportedly holding a phone, not a gun

Deadly Minneapolis shooting that’s put the city on edge — including the new reporting that the man killed was holding a phone, not a gun when he was shot by federal agents

On January 24, 2026, federal immigration agents — including U.S. Border Patrol officers — shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, during an immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.

• Federal officials initially claimed Pretti approached agents with a handgun and violently resisted arrest, framing the shooting as self-defense. 

• But multiple videos reviewed by independent sources show Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, in the moments before he was shot. 

• Some footage appears to show agents using pepper spray, pinning him to the ground, and then firing multiple shots — roughly 10 shots in about 5 seconds — even though he was unarmed at the moment of shooting. 

Pretti’s family strongly rejects the federal account and says the government’s narrative is false. They’ve called for transparency and accountability, emphasizing his work as a nurse and that he wasn’t a threat when killed. 

Rising Tensions and Reaction

This incident comes less than three weeks after another fatal federal shooting in Minneapolis — the January 7 killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent — and has intensified anger in the city. 

Local Officials

• Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey have condemned the shooting, questioned the federal narrative, and demanded federal agents leave the city. 

• Minnesota authorities are seeking a full, state-led investigation, saying the federal government has not cooperated and that evidence access has been limited. 

Protests and Public Response

• Hundreds of residents protested in freezing temperatures where the shooting occurred, lighting candles and calling for justice. 

• Demonstrations have also spread beyond Minneapolis to other major U.S. cities, such as New York and Washington, D.C., underscoring national outrage over the killing.