Federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, the second such death in less than three weeks. The victim, identified as VA nurse Alex Pretti, was gunned down on Eat Street, a corridor of immigrant-owned businesses. Witnesses filmed the incident, which occurred amid ongoing tensions over the presence of federal forces in the city.
The killing follows the death of Renee Good, 37, shot by a federal agent on 7 January. On Friday, tens of thousands took part in an economic blackout and protest march demanding an end to the ICE occupation and justice for Good. Local leaders have repeatedly called for federal agents to leave the state, with 'ICE OUT' signs visible across the city.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the latest killing, saying: '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.' He accused the federal government of blaming the victim before any investigation, adding that he had little confidence President Trump would de-escalate the situation.
At the scene, federal agents fired chemical irritants and made arrests as crowds gathered. One woman shouted on a livestream: 'You just shot someone and now you’re terrorising us. What more can we take?' Rachel Sayre, director of Minneapolis’s emergency management department, compared the situation to conflict zones she had witnessed in Yemen, Haiti, Syria, Iraq and Ukraine.
Community members have organised mutual aid, delivering food and supplies to those afraid to leave home. Parents patrol outside schools to ensure children’s safety, after reports that minors as young as two and five had been detained. Observers monitoring immigration enforcement have faced increasing hostility, including being pulled from cars and sprayed with chemicals.
Walz called for national action: 'This will end when enough Americans say this will end.' But with federal forces remaining, many fear the confrontation will continue.
