The Department of Homeland Security has launched an investigation into whether U.S. Border Patrol agents believed they were under attack when one of them fatally shot Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street over the weekend.
According to reports from the New York Post, the situation may have been triggered by an accidental discharge of Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 pistol. The weapon, taken from Pretti and held by an agent, might have led authorities to mistakenly perceive a threat to their lives.
Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and legally authorized to carry a firearm, was shot approximately 10 times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In this undated photo provided by Michael Pretti, Alex J. Pretti is shown. He was the individual shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Michael Pretti via AP)
Initially, officials reported that Pretti was waving the weapon as federal officers were engaged in immigration enforcement activities.
“It was entirely an accidental discharge by the agent who had secured the weapon,” a source informed the Post. “With everyone’s firearms drawn, they believed there was an active shooting.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest and that a federal agent fired his weapon “fearing for his life.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks beside a screen showing an image of a handgun during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Footage of the incident shows an agent disarm Pretti shortly before he was killed. He entered into the initial scuffle with agents as he tried to assist another protester who had been pushed by law enforcement.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the newspaper that the agents involved were overworked and not trained to deal with protesters or types of confrontation they have endured while going about their duties.
“None of those agents should’ve had their gun out. It’s a confluence of them being asked to do enforcement work that they are not trained for,” one source said.
A photo of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer over the weekend, is displayed at the shooting scene Monday in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating whether U.S. Border Patrol agents thought they were being fired upon when one fatally shot Pretti. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
“All of this is avoidable. None of this should be happening.”
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would be going to Minnesota amid violent clashes between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators.
