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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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Customs and Border Protection agents involved in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, a CBP spokesperson told Newsweek.
“The two officers involved are on administrative leave and have been since Saturday. This is standard protocol," the spokesperson said.
The Department of Homeland Security has not identified the federal agents involved in the shooting.
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Why It Matters
Pretti, a U.S. citizen and Minneapolis resident, was shot during an immigration enforcement operation that has drawn intense scrutiny and protests. The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that an individual later identified as Pretti had approached Border Patrol officers on Saturday with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.
In videos of the shooting taken by bystanders, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand. The footage does not appear to show him with a visible weapon. Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Minnesota.
The fatal shooting of Pretti led to further criticism of immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, coming just weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot Renee Good in Minneapolis.
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Who Was Alex Pretti and What Happened to Him?
Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. His family identified him as the individual who was killed during a shooting by federal agents on Saturday.
"He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset," his father, Michael Pretti, told the Associated Press. "He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the incident began at 9:05 a.m., as its law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis. The agency said officials were pursuing an "illegal alien wanted for violent assault."
DHS alleged that an individual approached the federal officers with a handgun. The agency said the individual also had two magazines and no identification.
"The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted," DHS wrote on social media. "More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene."
How Has Trump Responded to the Fatal Shooting?
President Donald Trump has made several statements on the shooting.
The president said on Truth Social on Saturday, "This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!"
Trump added, "We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy. We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW. Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong! This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud."
Trump told The Wall Street Journal that Pretti was carrying a “very dangerous gun, a dangerous and unpredictable gun,” adding, “It’s a gun that goes off when people don’t know it.”
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it," he told the outlet. "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.”
Trump also told the outlet, "We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”
Trump spoke to reporters about the investigation on Tuesday.
We're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself," Trump said.
What People Are Saying
**Alex Pretti's parents, in a joint statement: "**The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed."
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday about the Alex Pretti investigation: "You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."
What Happens Next
During a briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were investigating the shooting, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection was “conducting their own internal review.”
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Update 1/28/26, 2:17 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/28/26, 4:07 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional remarks.
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