We have a major development this afternoon. Put simply, the Trump administration’s narrative around the killing of Alex Pretti has collapsed. Administration officials were deployed to defend it on television this morning, but even conservative media was openly skeptical. At the same time, centrist Democrats who previously voted to fund ICE are now backing the impeachment of Kristi Noem. This is a genuine inflection point, and it matters.
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As you know, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37 year old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis early Saturday. It is now clear, based on multiple videos of the incident, that during the struggle, one agent removed a handgun from Pretti’s waistband and emerged holding it. Less than a second later, agents opened fire, discharging what appear to be approximately ten shots. Alex Pretti was not armed at the time of the shooting. This is a new angle of the shooting, trigger warning before watching:
The videos contradict public claims that Pretti posed an immediate armed threat. In one exchange on NBC News, anchor Kristen Welker pressed Trump Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on whether Pretti ever brandished a weapon. Blanche declined to answer directly, stating only that an investigation was ongoing, despite video showing Pretti holding up a cellphone as he recorded the agents.
Questions about the shooting have extended into conservative media, where concern has been unusually bipartisan. On Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo repeatedly challenged administration aligned figures on how Pretti could have been considered a threat.
Bartiromo asked how Border Patrol agents were being threatened if Pretti was filming with his phone. Kash Patel responded that the matter was under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.
The case has also exposed divisions within Republican circles, particularly between pro Trump figures and Republicans who strongly support Second Amendment rights. Some Trump aligned voices have argued that Pretti’s legal possession of a firearm justified the use of deadly force.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed that position during an interview, saying that while he was sorry Pretti was dead, he had brought a semiautomatic weapon to what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl pushed back, noting there was no evidence Pretti ever brandished the gun and that the Second Amendment protects lawful gun ownership.
The fallout has reached Capitol Hill. Representative Laura Gillen, a centrist Democrat who previously voted to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced her support for impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Gillen is known for rarely taking such positions, underscoring the political impact of the shooting.
Senator Amy Klobuchar also criticized the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death, contrasting the shooting with the lack of incidents during a large protest the previous day. Klobuchar noted that tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully in subzero temperatures, while a small group of federal agents later shot a man who appeared to be recording them with his phone.
Two federal law enforcement sources told NBC News that the Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation into the shooting, with assistance from the Department of Justice and the FBI. Pretti was shot by an officer from U.S. Border Patrol, an agency within DHS. In most cases involving DHS officer involved shootings, the FBI typically serves as the lead investigative agency, making DHS’s role in this case notable as scrutiny over the murder and the Administration’s response grows today.