A federal judge has ordered the preservation of all evidence related to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, as conflicting accounts of the incident continue to emerge and tensions escalate between state and federal officials.
The shooting, which occurred during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in South Minneapolis, has sparked outrage and prompted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to implore President Trump to end the surge of Border Patrol and ICE agents in the state. “The discussion has moved beyond politics and is now about basic human decency,” Walz said.
Conflicting Accounts
Department of Homeland Security officials have defended the shooting, with Secretary Kristi Noem claiming Pretti “arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” According to federal authorities, an agent fired “defensive shots” after Pretti allegedly approached with a weapon and resisted disarmament.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino stated that “First and foremost is that Alex Preti approached Border Patrol agents with the nine millimeter semi-auto handgun.” He later defended the need for a thorough investigation, saying, “Many videos out there, many different accounts that you may see, that I may see, that anybody here may see. That, folks, is why we have something called an investigation.”
But witness accounts and video evidence tell a different story. A witness contradicted federal claims in a sworn declaration, stating Pretti approached agents “with a camera” rather than a gun. Another witness described seeing agents pull Pretti to the ground: “The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn’t see him touch any of them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help (a) woman get up… They just threw him to the ground.”
After reviewing available videos, Gov. Walz dismissed the federal account as “nonsense.”
A Community in Mourning
The shooting has left neighbors and community members reeling. Nathan Duin, who lived near the scene, expressed shock: “It’s horrifying. Incomprehensible. What do you even do with that information? It’s almost impossible to process because how does something like that happen? How is it even possible?”
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted this was the second community loss in less than three weeks. “For the second time in less than three weeks, we’ve lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way. As an organization, we’re heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch.”
Michael Pretti, Alex’s father, described his son as someone who “cared about people deeply” and was troubled by ICE operations. “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.”
Internal Divisions
Behind the scenes, the handling of the shooting has reportedly created deep divisions within federal immigration enforcement. Officials have privately criticized descriptions of Pretti as a domestic terrorist, revealing tensions over the messaging from DHS leadership.
Unusually, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is leading the federal probe into the shooting with FBI assistance, despite HSI not typically being equipped to handle officer-involved shooting investigations. The procedural anomaly has raised questions about the investigation’s independence.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has made it clear that a thorough inquiry is non-negotiable, insisting that “A full, impartial, and transparent investigation into his shooting at the hands of DHS agents is non-negotiable.”
Calls for De-escalation
What happens next? A Minnesota school resource officer, Hunter Panning, pleaded with President Trump to pause ICE operations: “You need to take a calculated pause. Pausing is not weakness; it is a sign of noble judgement and care.”
Gov. Walz has challenged Americans to consider their stance on the federal operations, asking: “To Americans who are watching this right now. And I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn, or sympathy. I’ve got a question for all of you. What side do you want to be on?”
Meanwhile, the target of the original ICE operation, Jose Huerta-Chuma, had previously been in ICE custody in 2018 but was released after several weeks, according to Paul Schnell of the Minnesota Department of Corrections—raising questions about the urgency and necessity of the current operation.
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene weighed in on the constitutional aspects, stating: “Legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm. I support American’s 1st and 4th amendment rights. There is nothing wrong with legally peacefully protesting and videoing.”
As videos continue to contradict official narratives and Commander Bovino urges against “armchair-quarterbacking” the agent’s split-second decision, the court order to preserve evidence may provide the only path toward establishing what actually happened on that Minneapolis street—and whether a man with a camera became mistaken for a threat deserving of lethal force.
