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The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether U.S. Border Patrol agents thought they were being fired upon when one fatally shot Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street over the weekend.
The New York Post reported that an accidental discharge of Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 pistol, which was being held by an agent after it was taken away from him, may have made authorities believe their lives were in danger.
Pretti, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, who was legally permitted to carry the weapon, was fired upon around 10 times and died at the scene.
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This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Michael Pretti via AP)
Officials initially said Pretti was brandishing the weapon as federal officers were conducting immigration enforcement operations.
“It was 100% an accidental discharge by the agent that relieved that person of their weapon. Because everyone’s guns were out, they think that there’s a shooting,” one source told the Post.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest and that a federal agent fired his weapon “fearing for his life.”
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks beside a screen showing an image of a handgun during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Footage of the incident shows an agent disarm Pretti shortly before he was killed. He entered into the initial scuffle with agents as he tried to assist another protester who had been pushed by law enforcement.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the newspaper that the agents involved were overworked and not trained to deal with protesters or types of confrontation they have endured while going about their duties.
“None of those agents should’ve had their gun out. It’s a confluence of them being asked to do enforcement work that they are not trained for,” one source said.
A photo of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, is displayed at the shooting scene Monday in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether U.S. Border Patrol agents thought they were being fired upon when one fatally shot Pretti. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
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“All of this is avoidable. None of this should be happening.”
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would be going to Minnesota amid violent clashes between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators.