Footage Contradicts Trump Administration’s Account Of Minneapolis Shooting Of Alex Pretti

Last Updated:January 25, 2026, 23:18 IST

Video shows Alex Pretti, shot by federal officers in Minneapolis while unarmed, contradicting DHS claims. His family and civil rights groups demand an independent investigation.

ICE agents in Minneapolis. (Respresentative Image: AFP)

Video footage circulating online of the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis appears to contradict claims by the Trump administration that the man posed a violent threat to federal officers.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said after the incident on Saturday that Alex Pretti had approached US Border Patrol agents armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and had “violently resisted" when officers tried to disarm him.

Officials, however, did not clarify whether Pretti was holding a gun at the time he was shot.

Video clips widely shared by American media outlets, though News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the video., show a markedly different sequence of events. In the footage, Pretti appears to be holding a mobile phone, filming immigration agents on a snow-lined street while also directing traffic.

After one officer shoves a woman protester to the ground, Pretti is seen stepping between them. An agent then sprays him in the face with a chemical irritant. Moments later, officers pull Pretti to the icy roadway, where several agents struggle to restrain him.

Seconds later, as Pretti is bent forward on his knees with multiple officers on top of him, an officer appears to remove a handgun from his waist. Gunfire then erupts. Pretti’s motionless body is shot multiple times after officers initially back away. At least 10 shots can be heard in the footage, and in one clip, a bystander can be heard asking, “Where’s the gun?"

Following the shooting, DHS posted an image on X of a handgun it said was recovered from Pretti and described the incident as one in which an individual appeared intent on doing “maximum damage" and attempting to “massacre" law enforcement officers.

Pretti’s parents strongly rejected that account in a statement, accusing the administration of spreading falsehoods. They said their son was unarmed at the time of the confrontation and was attempting to protect the woman who had been pushed to the ground.

“Alex is clearly not holding a gun when he is attacked," the statement said, adding that he had his phone in one hand and his other hand raised while being pepper-sprayed.

The shooting has intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics and the administration of Donald Trump, with civil rights groups and family members calling for an independent investigation into the incident.

News world Footage Contradicts Trump Administration’s Account Of Minneapolis Shooting Of Alex Pretti

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