A federal agent is securing the area related to a shooting incident.
Following the second fatal shooting involving a federal agent in Minneapolis this month, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke out on Saturday, demanding that U.S. President Donald Trump terminate the large-scale enforcement operation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state. Governor Walz wrote on the social platform X: "This morning, federal agents were again involved in a shocking shooting. I have spoken with the White House. Minnesota has had enough. This is outrageous. The President must end this operation. Immediately withdraw the thousands of aggressive and insufficiently trained officers from Minnesota." At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed that the deceased was a 37-year-old white male, a resident of the city, with no known criminal history beyond traffic violations. Subsequently, the victim's parents and the Associated Press identified the man as Alex Pretty, an intensive care unit nurse. Chief O'Hara stated: "Based on the information we currently have, the man's only prior interaction with law enforcement was for traffic violations, and he held a valid permit to carry a firearm." However, he also noted that the specific details of the enforcement encounter leading to the shooting are still under investigation. O'Hara revealed that Minneapolis police have been in contact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but the department has not provided specific details about the incident itself. This latest shooting incident has exacerbated the already tense, weeks-long standoff between Minnesota authorities and federal immigration enforcement officers. Earlier this month, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good during an enforcement action, an event that sparked large-scale protests and accelerated the political backlash against the federal operations. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on platform X, saying: "At 9:05 AM Central Time, Department of Homeland Security law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted arrest operation in Minneapolis regarding an illegal immigrant suspected of a violent assault. At that moment, a male individual approached U.S. Border Patrol agents while holding a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Relevant footage is provided below." A handgun is said to have been recovered from a man who was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Homeland Security stated that federal agents attempted to disarm the man but encountered vigorous resistance, adding that "further details regarding this armed confrontation will be released." The department also mentioned that approximately 200 protesters gathered at the scene following the incident, and that "crowd control measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of the public and law enforcement officers." U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Greg Boveno stated during a press conference on Saturday afternoon that the federal agent involved in the incident had served with the agency for eight years.
Two informed sources told MS Now that the investigation into this shooting will be handled by the Department of Homeland Security, not the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At the request of Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, Governor Walz authorized the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard on Saturday afternoon to provide support for frontline emergency personnel. The county sheriff's office released a statement saying: "The role of the Minnesota National Guard is to assist local law enforcement and emergency personnel by providing additional resource support. The deployment of the National Guard aims to create a safe and stable environment, ensuring all Minnesotans can safely exercise their rights under the law, which includes the right to peaceful protest." Donald Trump responded to the shooting on his Truth Social platform, defending the federal enforcement actions while condemning criticism of his administration's intensified immigration enforcement policies. He wrote: "This is the gun the shooter was holding, loaded, with two additional loaded magazines! What is going on? Where is the local police? Why aren't they being allowed to protect ICE officers? Did the Mayor and Governor order them to stand down? There are reports that many local police are being forbidden from doing their jobs, and ICE is forced to defend themselves — it's not easy!" According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Minneapolis officials urged people to avoid the area and remain calm. Local law enforcement and state patrol officers were dispatched to the scene to separate protesters from ICE personnel. Minnesota's Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar echoed the Governor's stance, also calling for ICE to end its enforcement operations in Minnesota. She posted on platform X: "The world is watching. Thousands of residents are being stopped and harassed, local police cannot perform their duties normally, children are hiding, and schools are forced to close. Get ICE out of Minnesota now!" In contrast, Trump administration officials placed the blame for the shooting on the armed man. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller labeled Pretty a "domestic terrorist," alleging that he "attempted to assassinate federal law enforcement officers."
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