Minneapolis Shooting: New Footage Casts Doubt On Official Account Of Alex Pretti's Death

Last Updated:January 26, 2026, 15:12 IST

Clips from several angles show Pretti holding only a mobile phone moments before the confrontation escalated, not a gun, as federal officials claimed

This screengrab of video footage shot by @dangjessie, shows Alex Pretti (L) and a federal immigration agent (C) before he was shot dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026. (AFP)

In a development that could spell fresh trouble for Team Trump, fresh video footage emerging from Minneapolis appears to directly contradict the administration’s version of events surrounding the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents on January 24.

Federal authorities, including Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and senior Border Patrol commanders, initially asserted that Pretti approached agents with a firearm, forcing officers to fire in self-defence during a law enforcement operation. President Donald Trump’s team and other administration officials said Pretti’s actions posed an imminent threat to agents on the scene.

However, according to news outlet ABC, multiple bystander videos posted online and shared widely on social media tell a different story. Clips from several angles show Pretti holding only a mobile phone moments before the confrontation escalated, not a gun, as federal officials claimed. In some footage, Pretti is seen stepping between an agent and a woman being pushed to the ground—an act interpreted by witnesses as an attempt to de-escalate or help others rather than initiate violence.

In the critical seconds captured on video, at least six federal agents are shown tackling Pretti to the ground near Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis, spraying him with chemical irritants and wrestling him face down before shots are fired. There is no clear depiction of Pretti brandishing a weapon at any point before he is struck by multiple rounds.

ABC reported that another set of clips appears to show an officer removing a firearm from Pretti’s waistband during the struggle—after he has already been pinned—before several shots are fired into his back. The visuals have prompted civil liberties advocates and legal experts to question whether the federal narrative aligns with the actual events depicted in the footage.

News18 could not independently verify the videos.

Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz, have condemned the handling of the situation and demanded that federal agents leave the state, describing the incident as part of a pattern of “unconstitutional excesses" under the current immigration enforcement surge. Local authorities secured a temporary restraining order to prevent any tampering with physical evidence at the scene while investigations continue.

Pretti’s family has publicly denounced the administration’s statements as “sickening lies", saying their son was neither armed nor acting aggressively and was instead trying to protect others. Friends and neighbours remembered him as a dedicated caregiver and compassionate community member whose life was cut short in circumstances that now appear far more complex than first described.

The incident has ignited protests in Minneapolis and drawn widespread criticism from civil rights groups and political leaders across the spectrum.

News world Minneapolis Shooting: New Footage Casts Doubt On Official Account Of Alex Pretti's Death

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