Demonstrators and civilians surround a perimeter held by federal agents near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, where federal law enforcement agents shot a person earlier on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. The scene was cordoned off with crime scene tape, as dozens of protesters, some wearing gas masks and goggles, blew whistles. ICE agents from Enforcement and Removal Operations were on site, as were several agents wearing U.S. Bureau of Prison Uniforms. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)
- Videos verified by The New York Times appear to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
- The footage shows Pretti holding a phone with both hands visible before agents took him to the ground, while officers only later appeared to realize he was armed, according to a Times analysis.
- At least 10 shots were fired within seconds after agents had pinned Pretti to the ground and recovered a gun from the struggle, the video analysis shows.
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Videos on social media that were verified by The New York Times appear to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
Video Contradicts DHS Account of Shooting
The Department of Homeland Security said the episode began after a man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and they tried to disarm him. The statement did not specify whether the gun was in the man’s hands or merely on his body.
Footage shows Pretti was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, before the agents took him to the ground and shot him.
Footage Shows Shooting After Pretti Was Pinned
This is what the videos show, according to a Times analysis:
A small group of protesters stands in the street, speaking to a federal agent as whistles sound. Pretti appears to be filming the scene with his phone and directing traffic.
An agent begins shoving the demonstrators, and squirts pepper spray at their faces.
At this moment, Pretti has both hands clearly visible. One is holding his phone, while he holds the other up to protect himself from pepper spray. He moves to help one of the protesters who was sprayed, as other agents approach and pull him from behind.
Several agents tussle with Pretti before bringing him to his knees. He appears to resist as the agents grab his legs, push down on his back and strike him repeatedly.
The footage shows an agent approaching with empty hands and grabbing at Pretti as the others hold him down.
About eight seconds after he is pinned, agents yell that he has a gun, indicating that they may not have known he was armed until he was on the ground.
The same agent who approached with empty hands pulls a gun from among the group that appears to match the profile of a firearm DHS said belonged to Pretti.
The agents appear to have him under their control, with his arms pinned near his head.
As the gun emerges from the melee, another agent aims his own firearm at Pretti’s back and appears to fire one shot at close range. He then appears to continue firing at Pretti, who collapses.
A third agent unholsters a weapon. Both agents appear to fire additional shots into Pretti as he lies motionless.
In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Devon Lum and Haley Willis
c.2026 The New York Times Company
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