President Trump has shared an update after Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed by ICE.
The 37-year-old man was fatally shot during a confrontation with federal immigration officers while protesting against a crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The shooting took place around 9:05 AM near Nicollet Avenue, just over a mile from where Renee Good, a mother of three, was killed by an ICE agent earlier this month.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Pretti was carrying a 9mm handgun and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested that he had come to the protest with “weapons and ammunition” and that the situation escalated when he attempted to harm law enforcement officers.
“This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem said, per The Guardian.
However, eyewitness accounts, video footage, and Pretti’s family have strongly disputed these claims.
Videos from the scene show Pretti holding a phone, not a weapon, and being pinned to the ground and pepper-sprayed by officers before being shot. Local authorities and the late nurse's family have also asserted that he was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
President Trump’s Initial Response and Ongoing Investigation
In his initial statement, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that his administration is “reviewing everything” related to the shooting.
Despite video evidence contradicting the government’s narrative, the 79-year-old defended the actions of federal officers, stating: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it."
"But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either," he added.
In a new update today (January 26), the president acknowledged the growing tensions in Minneapolis, where protests have erupted in response to Pretti’s death, and announced that Tom Homan, whom he referred to as his “border tsar”, would be sent to Minnesota to investigate, per BBC News.
He described Homan as “tough but fair” and emphasized that a “major investigation” was underway. Trump also referenced an alleged “$20 billion welfare fraud” in the state, which he claimed was partially responsible for the protests.
Pretti’s Family and the Fallout
Pretti’s family has vehemently rejected the government’s version of events.
The late man's father shared an emotional statement, slamming the allegations that his son was involved in violent behavior.
“He cared about people deeply,” he said. “He was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset. He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street.”
The family also denied that Pretti was carrying a gun when he was shot, insisting that he was holding his phone and was trying to document the incident.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” they said. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Protests and Political Reactions
The aftermath of Pretti’s death has sparked protests not only in Minneapolis but also in cities across the United States.
Governor Tim Walz warned that the nation is at an “inflection point,” and expressed concerns about the escalating situation in Minnesota.
At the same time, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama criticized the ongoing crackdown in Minneapolis, describing the situation as “horrible scenes” that “I never thought would take place in America," per BBC News.
Prominent Republicans have also voiced worries about the situation. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called the incident “incredibly disturbing,” and urged a wide-ranging investigation involving both federal and state officials.
Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) stated that federal tactics and accountability have become a growing concern among voters, and Congressman James Comer, a Trump ally, suggested that the president should consider withdrawing immigration agents from Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have threatened to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless a thorough investigation is conducted.
This raised the possibility of another government shutdown if the matter is not addressed.