Minneapolis Nurse Shot Dead During ICE Operation Amid Protests, National Guard Deployed

Federal immigration officers shot and killed a 37-year-old intensive care nurse during an operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, triggering clashes between protesters and authorities and prompting the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard, according to AP and state officials.

Family members identified the man as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse at a VA hospital, who they said was deeply upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and had protested against it in his city. The shooting took place on January 24, 2026, in a neighbourhood already on edge after another fatal immigration-related shooting earlier this month.

According to AP, hundreds of people gathered at the scene after the shooting, confronting federal immigration officers who responded with batons and flash bangs. The Minnesota National Guard was activated on the orders of Governor Tim Walz and deployed to both the site of the shooting and a nearby federal building that has been the focus of daily protests.

Details of what led up to the shooting remained limited. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said authorities were still piecing together the events. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him.

However, bystander videos that circulated shortly after the incident appear to show Pretti holding a phone, with no visible weapon. Mr. O’Hara said police believe Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said at a news conference that Pretti had arrived at the scene to “impede a law enforcement operation”. She questioned why he was armed but did not say whether he had drawn or brandished a weapon. Federal officials said the officer who fired the fatal shot was an eight-year Border Patrol veteran.

President Trump responded on social media by criticising Governor Walz and the Minneapolis mayor. Sharing images of a gun that immigration officials said was recovered, Mr. Trump wrote: “What is that all about? Where are the local police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?” He accused the Democratic governor and mayor of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric”.

According to AP, the shooting occurred just over a mile from where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed another 37-year-old woman, Renee Good, on January 7, an incident that had already sparked widespread protests in the city.

Pretti’s family released a statement on Saturday evening describing themselves as “heartbroken but also very angry”, and said he was a kindhearted person who wanted to make a difference through his work as a nurse.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Mr. Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed,” the family said. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

AP reported that a bystander video from Nicollet Avenue shows protesters blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal officers. In the footage, an officer shoves a person carrying a water bottle, who then reaches out to a man later identified as Pretti. The two appear to embrace as Pretti raises his phone towards the officer. The officer shoves Pretti in the chest, and both fall back.

The video then cuts away and returns to show several officers surrounding Pretti. At least seven officers are seen attempting to restrain him. One officer strikes him in the chest with what appears to be a canister, while others try to pull his arms behind his back. Another officer strikes him near the head several times. A shot is then heard, though the source is not visible because officers are surrounding him. More shots follow, and Pretti is seen lying motionless on the street as officers step back.

Police Chief O’Hara appealed for calm from both protesters and federal agencies. “Our demand today is for those federal agencies that are operating in our city to do so with the same discipline, humanity and integrity that effective law enforcement in this country demands,” he said. “We urge everyone to remain peaceful.”

Gregory Bovino of the U.S. Border Patrol, who has overseen the Trump administration’s large-city immigration operations, said the officer involved had extensive training in range safety and the use of less-lethal force. “This is only the latest attack on law enforcement,” he said, adding that DHS personnel across the country had been “attacked, shot at”.

Governor Walz said he had no confidence in federal officials and that the state would lead the investigation. But Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said federal officers initially blocked state investigators from accessing the scene even after a signed judicial warrant had been obtained.

Amid the unrest, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not support a federal spending package that includes funding for DHS, increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown when funding expires on January 30, 2026, AP reported.

Despite dangerously cold conditions, protesters continued to gather. By midday on Saturday, temperatures remained at minus six degrees Celsius after an extreme cold wave. As night fell, hundreds of people stood quietly at a growing memorial near the shooting site. Some held signs reading “Justice for Alex Pretti”, while others chanted the names of Pretti and Good. Nearby businesses remained open, offering warmth, water, coffee and snacks.

Caleb Spike, who travelled from a nearby suburb, said he came to show support and express frustration. “It feels like every day something crazier happens,” he said. “What’s happening in our community is wrong, it’s sickening.”

(With inputs from Associated Press)