Tim Walz appears to claim federal agent shot Alex Pretti as he was 'coming out of a donut shop'

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sharply criticized federal immigration enforcement and called for state control of the investigation after a 37-year-old Minneapolis man was shot and killed by federal agents during an immigration operation on Saturday, January 24. 

The man who was killed was identified by relatives as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse who worked at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.

Tim Walz calls out 'campaign of organized brutality against' Minnesota

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz said during a press conference, "You ask us for peace, and we give it, and we get shot in the face on the streets coming out of a donut shop.”

At a press conference and on social media, Walz described the incident as "sickening" and part of what he called an unacceptable escalation in federal operations under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

"It's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state. And today, that campaign claimed another life. I've seen the videos from several angles, and it's sickening," Walz said.

Democratic leaders have criticized federal law enforcement officials in response to the shooting, while federal authorities have said the officers were carrying out their duties.

Federal accounts and civilian video differ

Federal officials say Border Patrol agents were doing their job as part of a larger immigration enforcement effort when they confronted Pretti.

They claim he had a handgun and fought back when agents tried to disarm him.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti approached Border Patrol officers while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and that agents fired "defensive shots" after officers tried to disarm him and he "violently resisted."

Federal officials did not specify whether Pretti brandished the gun, and bystander videos show him holding a phone, with none showing a visible weapon.

The shooting prompted immediate demonstrations in Minneapolis and other cities, with hundreds of people taking to the streets despite cold weather to protest the killing and demand accountability from federal authorities.

Local officials, including Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, called for calm while sharply criticizing federal enforcement tactics.

President Donald Trump criticized Walz and Frey on Truth Social, accusing them of "inciting insurrection."

CBS Minnesota reported that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said its agents were blocked from accessing the scene even after obtaining a judge-signed search warrant.