Video footage reviewed by multiple sources directly contradicts the Trump administration’s claims about Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. The footage shows Pretti was holding a phone, not a weapon, when he was tackled and shot by agents on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
After the shooting, senior officials quickly claimed extreme danger. President Trump referred to “the gunman’s gun” in a social media post, and the Department of Homeland Security released an image of a handgun. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti had “approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.”
According to The Guardian, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino claimed Pretti “violently resisted” and that the situation looked like one where an individual “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
The video footage tells a different story
Footage recorded around 8:58 AM on Nicollet Avenue shows Pretti standing in the street, holding up his phone and recording federal officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation. One officer shoved him back, but Pretti kept recording as he retreated.
Other witness videos show Pretti continued recording the agents while other observers honked horns and blew whistles nearby. A higher-resolution clip shows Pretti then helped defend another observer who was shoved to the ground by an officer. The officer sprayed Pretti repeatedly with a chemical agent, then tackled him along with two other agents. This incident adds to growing concerns about Trump’s domestic enforcement policies.
At least two witnesses captured the moment seven agents swarmed Pretti, holding him down and hitting him. One officer, wearing jeans and a grey jacket, reached toward Pretti’s lower back and stepped away with what appeared to be a gun. One of the agents shouted, “Gun! Gun!” Less than a second later, an agent drew a weapon and fired a shot at Pretti from close range.
As the agents stepped back, a second officer pointed a gun at Pretti, and another volley of about 10 shots rang out. While Pretti was legally licensed to carry a gun, the videos do not show him ever holding or brandishing a weapon during the entire encounter.
Despite the video evidence showing Pretti was recording on his phone, Secretary Noem continued to refer to Pretti as an “armed suspect” during a briefing later that Saturday. She claimed he was “brandishing” the weapon when he approached the agents and was there “to inflict maximum damage and to kill law enforcement.” The controversy comes as Europe reassesses relations with Trump following recent diplomatic tensions.
Pretti’s parents released a statement saying they were “heartbroken but also very angry” about the administration’s “reprehensible and disgusting” lies. They pointed out that their son is clearly holding his phone in the video, with his empty left hand raised while he tried to protect the woman the agent had just pushed down.
Two witnesses filed affidavits in federal court backing up the video evidence. A physician testified under penalty of perjury, “I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind.” The other witness stated, “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera.”
Published: Jan 25, 2026 12:45 pm