‘He’s got a gun!’: New video exposes federal shooting of armed protester in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Newly surfaced videos are shedding fresh light on the moments before federal agents fatally shot an armed man during a confrontation tied to an immigration arrest in Minneapolis.

The disturbing clips capture close-up angles of the deadly encounter on Saturday morning, January 24, as tensions boiled over on a South Minneapolis street while federal officers attempted to arrest a criminal migrant.

Video shows fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

The harrowing video begins with whistle-blowing protesters standing in the street as roughly six federal agents push a man, later identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, to the ground on an icy stretch near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.

A woman recording the scene is heard shouting in disbelief. “What the f**k is wrong with you?” she yelled in the three-minute video. “What the f*8k, people? What the f**k is wrong with you?”

Agents quickly swarmed Pretti, wrestling him onto the pavement as he resisted. Moments later, an immigration officer grabbed Pretti’s gun and fired more than a dozen shots in rapid succession. The woman filming screamed as the gunfire rang out, repeatedly shouting, “What the f**k did you do?!” as Pretti lay motionless on his back.

Footage shows ICE officers backing away after the shots were fired, with several agents still aiming their weapons at Pretti before cautiously moving closer.

“Oh my God, Oh my God! What the f**k did you just do?” the horrified woman yelled again and again. “Someone call the ambulance! Somebody call 9-1-1! I can’t believe they just did that!”

Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene.

Video shows officers yelling ‘he’s got a gun’

Additional close-up videos confirm that Pretti was armed, with the agent who fired reacting to something that clearly alarmed him amid the chaos.

What remains unclear is exactly when Pretti’s weapon came into play. Authorities have not confirmed whether Pretti had drawn the gun and was immediately disarmed, whether an officer pulled it from his clothing, or whether Pretti was in the process of reaching for it when another agent grabbed it while he was pinned to the ground.

Videos show officers yelling “he’s got a gun,” as an unidentified agent is seen reaching into Pretti’s waistband.

At one point, an officer emerges from the struggle holding the weapon, later identified by officials as a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Another angle shows Pretti gripping his phone while helping a woman who had been shoved to the ground by an immigration agent. That same agent is seen repeatedly spraying the pair with tear gas.

Moments later, a swarm of federal officers pulled Pretti away from the woman and forced him to the ground. Pretti struggled on his hands and knees for several seconds before an agent wearing a gray jacket appeared to seize the gun. The fatal shots rang out shortly after.

Law enforcement then moved in to secure the area as stunned bystanders looked on.

Kristi Noem says agents fired 'defensive shots' 

The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti approached US Border Patrol officers while armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.

According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the situation escalated rapidly once agents realized he was armed.

“The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently,” Noem said at a press conference Saturday night.

“Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics were on the scene immediately and attempted to deliver medical aid to the subject, but he was pronounced dead at the scene,” she added.