Recently revealed details indicate that Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot in Minneapolis, had been injured in an altercation with federal agents just a week prior. Pretti, 37, reportedly sustained a broken rib when officers tackled him during a protest against then-President Trump’s immigration policies, according to a CNN source. This incident allegedly unfolded after Pretti intervened upon witnessing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents pursuing a family. He reportedly stopped his vehicle, began shouting, and blew a whistle, which led to him being forcefully subdued by five officers. The source alleged that one officer’s pressure on Pretti’s back resulted in his rib injury. Despite fearing for his life, Pretti, an ICU nurse, was released at the scene but remained of interest to federal authorities.

Documents acquired by the media suggest that federal agents in Minneapolis had been directed to gather extensive information on protesters, which included capturing images and recording license plates and personal details. While officials had been monitoring Pretti, details about when they began tracking him remain uncertain. Pretti was shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, captured in multiple bystander videos that reveal a brief confrontation lasting around 30 seconds, occurring at approximately 9 am.

The footage challenges the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) narrative, which claimed that agents acted defensively as Pretti allegedly approached with a firearm. The videos, however, show Pretti holding only a phone, with no weapon visible. During the confrontation, agents discovered a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun on Pretti, prompting them to fire multiple shots. Subsequently, a federal judge issued a temporary order prohibiting the Trump administration from tampering with evidence related to Pretti’s death. It remains unconfirmed whether Pretti’s firearm was discharged during the incident.

Department of Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem was quick to label Pretti a domestic terrorist, a title that Trump himself has not said. Trump then tapped Border Czar Tom Homan to take over the Minnesota operation from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. Dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown, ICE and CBP has increased since Pretti was shot dead. Noem has also seen a dramatic loss of confidence, the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll revealed. Democrats in Congress have already begun circulating an impeachment resolution against Noem with more than 120 signatures.

But Trump has insisted Noem is not stepping down and issued a defiant statement standing by her. ‘I think she’s doing a very good job,’ the President told reporters outside the White Houseon Tuesday. ‘The border is totally secure … we had a border that we inherited where millions of people were coming through, now we have a border where no one is coming through.’ But Trump grilled Noem over her remarks about Pretti at a meeting attended by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in the Oval Office late on Sunday. The president was reportedly frustrated with Noem after she called the ICU nurse a ‘domestic terrorist’. Noem has since been dispatched to secure the Southern Border, away from the administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the interior.

In another possible sign of de-escalation, Mayor Jacob Frey announced, without giving details, that ‘some federal agents’ will be leaving the Minnesota city. Frey also revealed that he planned to meet with Homan on Tuesday. Trump spoke with Frey and Democratic Governor Tim Walz on the phone Monday, having what he described as ‘great calls’. ‘We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,’ the president wrote in a social media post. Walz, in a statement, said the call was ‘productive’ and that impartial investigations into the shootings were needed. Trump said his administration was looking for ‘any and all’ criminals the state has in their custody.

Walz said the state Department of Corrections honors federal requests for people in its custody. Walz’s office also said Tuesday that the Democratic governor met with Homan and called for impartial investigations into the shootings involving federal officers. They agreed on the need to continue to talk, according to the governor. Immigration officers were still active Tuesday across the Twin Cities region, and it is unclear if officials have changed tactics after the shift in tone from the White House.

A federal judge in Minneapolis heard arguments on Monday about whether the deployment of federal officers violates the state of Minnesota’s sovereignty. In a separate hearing, a judge was considering a request to force federal officials to preserve evidence in the killing of Pretti, saying she would rule quickly. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons has also been ordered to appear in a Minnesota federal court on Friday over a case of a man challenging his detention by the agency.