US immigration officers shot a man dead during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis.
Graphic footage, taken by a bystander, showed the moment the 37-year-old was gunned down by federal agents in front of screaming protesters.
The video showed at least four masked federal agents wrestling the man, who authorities claimed was armed, to the ground before two others joined the skirmish and began hitting him.
Moments later, several gunshots were heard, and the agents were seen springing to their feet.
The man, who was named as Alex Jeffrey Pretti by the Minnesota Star Tribune, was seen lying motionless on the floor in the video. He was later confirmed dead by police.
It is unclear from the footage who was responsible for the gunshots.
Records show that Pretti attended the University of Minnesota. He was issued a nursing licence in 2021 and it would have remained active until March 2026, according to the newspaper.
Governor Tim Walz confirmed he had ordered the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard to Minneapolis following the shooting.
The deadly shooting comes less than three weeks after Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
As in the immediate aftermath of Good’s case, which led to widespread protests, the details of what happened in Saturday’s shooting are disputed.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials claimed the individual had been armed, with a gun and two magazines, when he approached agents who had been “looking for an illegal alien wanted for violent assault”.
The agency claimed in a statement: “An individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted.
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”
Brian O’Hara, the city’s police chief, said officials had identified the person who was killed and said he had no criminal record.
“The only interaction that we are aware of with law enforcement has been for traffic tickets. And we believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
Donald Trump, who threatened to use the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to the area, blamed local politicians and police for the shooting, while sharing a picture of the pistol on his Truth Social platform.
“12,000 illegal alien criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today,” he said.
A second video taken by a passing motorist appeared to show the moment officers confronted Pretti.
Wearing a cap and camel-coloured coat, he was seen filming an ICE agent before being pushed away. The video ended shortly after other agents arrived at the scene.
Walz, a Democrat, described the shooting as “sickening”.
He wrote on X: “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning.
“This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home.
One agent responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.” Officers elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car.
Around three or four tear gas bombs were deployed on the crowd, according to the New York Times. Protesters moved back but continued to chant: “I smell Nazis.”
The shooting happened a day after thousands of demonstrators protesting a government crackdown on immigrants crowded the city’s streets.
Protesters have gathered daily in the Twin Cities since January 7, when Good was shot dead.
Trump claimed the woman “violently, wilfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defence”.
His version of events has been challenged by Good’s supporters and family, who denied she had used her car as a weapon, insisting she was attempting to escape the scene.
The Telegraph analysed the video, which shows Good appeared to move her car away from the ICE agent, with whom she made no contact, casting doubt on the White House’s account.
Extensive video footage has been used by both sides to support their cases, and the controversy has shown no signs of abating.
Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fired three times through the window of her car, has received more than US$1 million in donations from supporters.
Today’s shooting adds to intense scrutiny around federal immigration enforcement activity in the city as tempers between protesters and agents continue to flare.
Federal officers have repeatedly squared off with community members and activists who track their movements.
Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, said: “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?
“How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realises that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?
“How many times must local and national leaders plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognise that this is not creating safety in our city?”
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