COLUMN: Federal agents shoot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and America is shaken

Doctors and bystanders describe what they saw

Several witnesses provided sworn testimony on the day of the shooting as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and other officials responsible for immigration enforcement. A doctor present at the scene testified that agents prevented her from assessing Pretti’s condition because she did not have her medical license on her. In her sworn deposition, she stated that the agents were not performing CPR on Pretti but had instead turned his body onto its side and appeared to be counting the bullet wounds. She also stated that she never saw Pretti attack the federal agents or threaten them with a weapon. A second witness stated that she never saw Pretti pull out or brandish a weapon, but that he had approached the agents with a camera while trying to help a protester who had been pinned to the ground by the agents. She said she saw four or five agents on top of Pretti when they began shooting him. A third witness recounted how she and nearly twenty other people who had witnessed the shooting were detained by federal authorities, taken to the Whipple Federal Building, and held there for several hours before being released.

The sight of a doctor trying to save a life and being pushed aside like a piece of trash makes my blood run cold. Instead of helping the man they had just shot, the federal agents spent their time counting the bullets. Counting the bullets. As if it were a video game. As if Alex Pretti’s life were worth no more than a score on a screen. And those witnesses who were arrested and held for hours without charges, simply because they had seen what they weren’t supposed to see. That’s pure, unadulterated fascism. The way they treated these people—these American citizens who just had the misfortune of being there, in the wrong place at the wrong time—reveals the true nature of this operation. This isn’t justice. It’s intimidation. It’s terror.

DHS Claims Versus the Reality Shown in the Footage

The Department of Homeland Security stated in a press release that Pretti had approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun and that an agent had sprayed pepper spray before firing defensive shots after attempting to disarm him. However, videos of the incident clearly show Pretti holding his phone in his right hand and nothing in his left hand. A DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, stated that the fact that Pretti was carrying a weapon meant he intended to “massacre law enforcement officers.” However, numerous news outlets have noted that several specific claims made by Trump administration officials regarding the shooting are contradicted by footage captured by witnesses. According to an analysis by The New York Times, officers shouted that Pretti had a gun about eight seconds after he was pinned to the ground. DHS stated that body camera footage from at least four different angles of the incident existed and was under review. An officer was also filmed removing a gun from Pretti’s belt less than a second before another officer began firing.

The lie. The constant, systematic, calculated lie. They tell us in black and white that he was holding a gun, while the videos show that he was holding his phone. They say he wanted to “massacre law enforcement” even though he was already on the ground, already subdued, already disarmed. They spout lines that were written, revised, and approved in air-conditioned offices in Washington, bearing no relation to what actually happened on the snowy streets of Minneapolis. And the worst part is that they keep going. They keep lying even when the videos prove them wrong. It’s this arrogance of power that revolts me the most. This conviction that they can say anything and that we’ll have to believe it, that we have to accept it, that we have to swallow it. No. We don’t have to swallow anything. We have to reject it all.

The Streets of Minneapolis Are in Turmoil

Immediately after the shooting, more than 100 people gathered at the scene of the incident to protest. Bystanders called the federal agents cowards and told them to go home. One agent responded contemptuously with “Boo hoo.” News of the shooting spread rapidly through rapid-response networks, including group chats on the Signal messaging app. Federal agents fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters. Two protesters were arrested after attempting to cross the police tape. Protesters chanted, “I smell Nazis.” Several witnesses were detained and taken to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. Protests also took place in Seattle, Portland, Durham, Oak Park near Chicago, downtown Los Angeles, and Boston. The Guardian estimated that thousands of people protested in New York, and hundreds in San Francisco, Providence, and Minneapolis. On the evening of the shooting, thousands of people attended candlelight vigils held on street corners, sidewalks, in parks, and at various locations throughout the Twin Cities area.

“Boo hoo.” Those two words, that crass contempt, that icy arrogance—they keep me awake at night. A man has just been shot ten times, a community is in mourning, a city is in an uproar, and a federal agent—paid with our tax dollars to protect us—responds with “Boo hoo.” It’s the perfect symbol of everything that’s wrong. It’s the complete decline of empathy, the total disappearance of humanity, the absolute victory of indifference. They don’t even see us as human beings anymore. We are obstacles, nuisances, problems to be dealt with. And the protests that followed—those candlelight vigils in the January cold, that anger rising from all across the country—that is the response. That is resistance. That is the refusal to accept a world where “Boo hoo” is the only response to the death of a citizen.

Internal Divisions and a Change in Strategy

The Trump administration initially defended the shooting, even though many of its claims were contradicted by video footage and witness accounts. Hours after the shooting, before any investigation had taken place, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, claimed without evidence that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who had “attempted to assassinate federal law enforcement officers.” President Donald Trump posted an image of Pretti’s gun and called him a “shooter,” while accusing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting insurrection. However, the administration’s narrative was quickly contradicted by witness videos and met with widespread outcry, including from Republicans and Second Amendment advocates who were outraged by the justification of the shooting of a licensed gun owner. According to media reports, Trump became “increasingly troubled” by the “chaos” as he watched footage of the incident and its aftermath, and decided to “change the narrative.” After speaking with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey to defuse tensions, Trump dispatched Border Tsar Tom Homan to oversee operations and removed Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino from Minnesota.

Stephen Miller. That name alone sends shivers down my spine. This man who, without any evidence, without any remorse, without any hesitation, labels a 37-year-old nurse a “domestic terrorist” just hours after his death. He doesn’t just lie—he desecrates. He takes the memory of a man who spent his life caring for others and turns it into a political weapon. And Trump, with his photo of the gun, his inflammatory tweet, his accusations of insurrection—he’s following the same path. They’re trying to turn the victim into the culprit, the martyr into a monster. But this time, it didn’t work. The videos were there. The witnesses were there. The reality was there. And they had to back down. They had to turn back. They had to “change their perspective.” But the damage is done. Trust is shattered. Fear has taken hold.

A standard procedure that raises more questions

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that the two agents involved in the fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis had been placed on administrative leave. “The two agents involved are on administrative leave. That is standard procedure,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Trump called for an “honorable and honest investigation” into Pretti’s death and suggested he would “tone down a bit” his administration’s immigration crackdown in the northern Minnesota city. Stephen Miller, a powerful figure who leads Trump’s immigration crackdown, said Tuesday that the agents may have violated “protocol” prior to the shooting. However, many questions remain unanswered. Why did the agents fire ten shots in five seconds? Why did they keep firing even after Pretti was already on the ground? Why didn’t the officer who took Pretti’s gun inform the other officers that he had disarmed him? Why did the officers prevent a doctor from treating Pretti? Why were witnesses detained for hours?

Administrative leave. Those two words sound like a cruel joke. You shoot a man down in the street, you execute him in front of dozens of witnesses, you let his body bleed out on the pavement, and your punishment is… paid leave. That’s American justice in 2026. If you’re a federal agent, you have the right to kill with no consequences. You have the right to make mistakes, to panic, to misjudge a situation—and someone will die—but you’ll go on vacation. And all these unanswered questions—they gnaw at me. They haunt me. Why ten shots? Why not one? Why not two? Why an execution? The answers exist, but they’ll never be given to us. They’re buried in classified files, in internal reports, in the consciences of the agents who fired the shots. And we’ll have to live with that.

Republicans Breaking Ranks with the Administration

Political reactions have crossed traditional party lines. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called for a “thorough and impartial investigation,” while Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called for a joint investigation by the federal and state governments and stated: “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS is at stake.” Other Republican senators who also called for a comprehensive, transparent, and independent investigation include Pete Ricketts, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Jon Husted, Dave McCormick, Jerry Moran, Mike Crapo, and Todd Young. Republican Senator John Curtis called for a Senate investigation and stated that Kristi Noem’s response “undermines public trust and the mission of law enforcement.” Republican Representative Thomas Massie wrote in response to a statement by Bill Essayli: “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence; it is a God-given, constitutionally protected right, and if you don’t understand that, you have no place in law enforcement or government.”

When Republicans like Thomas Massie start saying that carrying a gun isn’t a death sentence, you know that something fundamental has changed. The Second Amendment, that sacred pillar of American politics, has served as a justification for so many deaths, so many shootings, so many tragedies. But suddenly, when a man who is legally carrying a gun is shot by law enforcement officers, Republicans may be realizing that their own principles can backfire on them. This division within the Republican Party—these voices speaking out to demand accountability—is a sign of hope in the darkness. It shows that politics, after all, has its limits. That there are lines even partisan loyalty cannot cross. Alex Pretti’s death may have accomplished something important: it shattered the monolith.

Heartbroken Parents Determined to Get to the Bottom of It

Pretti’s parents released a statement saying they were “heartbroken but also very angry.” The statement continued: “The disgusting lies told about our son by the administration are repugnant and revolting,” and stated: “Alex is clearly not holding a weapon when he is attacked by Trump’s murderous and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head as he tries to protect the woman whom ICE had just pinned to the ground while she was being sprayed with pepper spray. ” They urged people to reject the government’s claims about Pretti, saying, “Please, get the truth out about our son.” A GoFundMe for Pretti’s family had reached 1 million U.S. dollars by January 25, 2026. Pretti’s father told reporters that Pretti had acknowledged his parents’ warnings to be careful during the protests. Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents less than 3.2 kilometers from his home in Minneapolis.

“Trump’s murderous and cowardly ICE thugs.” These words, spoken by parents who have just lost their only son, resonate within me like a funeral bell. There are no words strong enough to describe this pain. No metaphors are powerful enough to capture this loss. These are people like you and me—ordinary people who have lived through the worst nightmare imaginable. And instead of being able to grieve in peace, they must fight against lies, against slander, against a political machine that is trying to tarnish their son’s memory. They are broken, but they will not be silenced. They will not let this go. They will demand the truth. That strength, that dignity—that is what still gives me hope in these very dark times.

The aftermath of a tragedy that could have been avoided

The death of Alex Pretti forced the Trump administration to attempt a course correction in the face of national and international outrage. Trump suggested that he would “ease up a bit” on immigration enforcement in the northern Minnesota city. Tom Homan, the border czar, was sent to oversee operations. Gregory Bovino was removed from Minnesota. But many local activists view these measures with skepticism and expect immigration enforcement to continue in the region. Videos of the shooting continue to circulate on social media. Eyewitness accounts continue to be reported in the media. Anger continues to simmer in the streets of Minneapolis and across the country. Alex Pretti’s death was no accident. It was not a regrettable mistake. It was the predictable result of a policy that prioritizes repression over human rights, that values force over justice, that favors intimidation over protection.

America has reached a point of no return. I feel it in my bones; I see it in the eyes of the people I pass; I hear it in the hesitant conversations in cafes, offices, and schools. Something broke on January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, and it cannot be mended. Trust is gone. Innocence is dead. Hope has evaporated. We now live in a country where law enforcement officers can shoot a citizen in the street and receive paid leave as punishment. Where a nurse who saves lives can be killed for trying to help a woman in distress. Where the truth can be denied, manipulated, and distorted by cynical politicians. But we cannot accept this. We cannot get used to it. We must continue to say that this is unacceptable. That it is unbearable. That it is inhumane. Alex Pretti’s memory deserves better than this. America deserves better than this. We deserve better than this.

Signed, Jacques Provost