State–DOJ evidence war escalates in Alex Pretti, Renee Good ICE shootings
The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — the latter shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in south Minneapolis, with bystander and surveillance videos that some say contradict federal accounts — have spurred protests and intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge after multiple federal‑agent shootings in the city. In response, Hennepin County and state investigators have sued to force DHS, ICE and CBP (naming U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi) to preserve and not alter evidence in the Pretti and Good cases, while the Justice Department counters that those preservation and access demands are unprecedented, implicate federal supremacy and investigative privilege, and could impede ongoing criminal probes — a judicial clash that could set a template for future federal–state disputes over federal use‑of‑force cases.
📌 Key Facts
- Since the start of Operation Metro Surge Minneapolis has seen multiple federal‑agent shootings — including the Jan. 7 ICE killing of Renee Good and at least two more federal shootings in the weeks after, culminating in the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti — and AP reporting also described a separate incident in which a federal officer shot a person in the leg during an arrest.
- Alex Pretti, a 37‑year‑old Minneapolis resident identified by family as an ICU nurse who worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and was active in protests, was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in south Minneapolis near 26th–28th Street West and Nicollet Avenue South; sources report he was shot in the chest and died.
- Family members and multiple videos have raised factual disputes with the federal account: relatives contest parts of the official narrative, and synthesized surveillance and bystander footage shows sequences where Pretti appears disarmed, on the ground, or not actively pointing a gun when shots were fired; early leaks that the wound was to the leg also conflicted with later reporting of a fatal chest wound.
- The shooting prompted immediate protests and a memorial at the scene; reports say federal officers deployed chemical irritants against crowds, detained at least one person, and political leaders and residents escalated calls for ICE to leave and for independent scrutiny of the federal presence.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have filed a federal civil lawsuit seeking a court order requiring DHS, ICE and CBP to preserve all evidence in the Alex Pretti case (and seeking a consolidated preservation framework covering both the Good and Pretti cases); the suit names DHS, ICE, CBP and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants.
- State officials and prosecutors (including AG Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty) have publicly asserted the state’s ability to review the shootings for criminal charges and demanded access to federal evidence, saying federal agents are not above the law.
- The U.S. Department of Justice has pushed back, arguing many of the requested preservation and access measures are unprecedented, could interfere with ongoing criminal investigations and officer safety, and invoking federal‑supremacy and investigative‑privilege arguments; judges are weighing how much authority courts have to constrain DHS evidence practices, with the outcome likely to set a broader template for future federal–state disputes.
- Reactions have been polarized: elected officials from across the political spectrum and advocacy groups have weighed in, while the Border Patrol Union defended the agents — asserting they are well‑trained and describing the encounter as a response to an armed individual — underscoring the sharp factual and political divisions over the shooting.
📊 Relevant Data
From 2018 to 2022, there were 216 shootings by officers working for or with federal agencies including the FBI, ATF, DEA, and US Marshals, many of which received little public attention.
Tracking 5 years of shootings by federal law enforcement agencies — NBC News
Minnesota is home to approximately 107,000 people of Somali descent as of 2024, representing about 2% of the state's population, with more than 83,000 in the Twin Cities metro area.
Trump targeting Somali community: How many Somalis live in Minneapolis? (Dec. 2025) — FOX 9
Male Somali immigrants aged 18-29 who arrived in the US at age 15 or younger have a higher incarceration rate than comparable US-born males in Minnesota, according to 2026 analysis.
How a Manhattan Institute Comparison of Immigrant Incarceration Rates is Rhetorically Misleading — Cato Institute
Venezuelan migration to the US has been driven by economic and political instability, exacerbated by US sanctions, the termination of humanitarian parole programs, and freezing of asylum processing for Venezuelans in recent policies.
American border crackdown forces Venezuelan migrants on a perilous journey back south — The Conversation
Historical state-federal disputes over agent shootings include the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff, where federal agents' actions led to deaths and subsequent investigations, setting precedents for federal accountability.
Ruby Ridge standoff - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Armed demonstrations in the US from 2020-2021 were associated with increased violence, with data showing that the presence of armed individuals correlates with more violence and destruction at protests.
Armed Assembly: Guns, Demonstrations, and Political Violence in America — Everytown Research
📰 Source Timeline (10)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
5:36 AM
‘Nothing about what is going on here is normal’: A fight over evidence in Good, Pretti cases
New information:
- Clarifies that the state and local plaintiffs are seeking a broad, case‑consolidated preservation framework covering both Good and Pretti, not just a one‑off order in Pretti’s case.
- Reports DOJ’s position that many of the detailed preservation and access demands (including third‑party escrow/control of evidence) are unprecedented and would interfere with ongoing criminal investigations and officer safety.
- Introduces new legal arguments about federal supremacy and investigative privilege that DOJ is raising to try to limit Minnesota’s ability to dictate how DHS handles its own records.
- Highlights that judges are openly wrestling with how much authority they have to micromanage DHS’s evidence practices while Metro Surge is still underway, and that whatever they decide here could set a template for future federal‑state clashes over ICE shootings.
- Notes that civil‑rights and defense lawyers see this as a test of whether state and local actors can force some sunlight into a federal killing when the feds are the ones holding the file cabinets.
January 25, 2026
2:57 AM
Minneapolis shooting: Lawsuit demands DHS preserve evidence in Alex Pretti's death
New information:
- Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have jointly filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking a court order barring DHS, ICE and CBP from destroying or altering any evidence in the Alex Pretti shooting.
- The suit names DHS, ICE, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants.
- AG Keith Ellison publicly stated, “Federal agents are not above the law and Alex Pretti is certainly not beneath it,” and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty emphasized that her office asserts jurisdiction to review the case for potential criminal charges against the agents.
1:18 AM
Videos show deadly Minneapolis shooting and political leaders reach different conclusions
New information:
- The article synthesizes multiple surveillance and bystander videos of the Alex Pretti shooting, emphasizing sequences where he appears disarmed, on the ground, or not actively pointing a gun when shots are fired, sharpening the factual dispute with DHS’s narrative.
- It details how different political leaders — notably Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis officials and federal spokespeople — are publicly reaching opposing conclusions from the same video evidence, with locals calling the shooting unjustified and DHS framing it as necessary force against an armed threat.
- The story underscores that these videos are expected to be central evidence in civil‑rights litigation and official investigations, and notes growing public skepticism online as residents circulate clips that appear to contradict federal characterizations.
12:44 AM
Minneapolis shooting: What we know about Alex Pretti, the man killed by Border Patrol agent
New information:
- Confirms the victim’s full name as 37‑year‑old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen with only traffic violations on his record and a valid Minnesota permit to carry.
- Details that Pretti was an ICU nurse employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a member of AFGE Local 3669, and is being publicly mourned by AFGE Local 704, which labeled the shooting his 'murder' and praised his service to veterans.
- Adds personal background: graduate of the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts (2011), avid outdoorsman and competitive cyclist, deeply engaged in protests against ICE and prior police violence, including demonstrations after George Floyd’s murder.
- Includes interviews with his father, mother and ex‑wife describing his politics (Democratic voter), history of protest participation, and the fact he obtained a carry permit and at least one semiautomatic handgun about three years ago.
- Shows that a memorial is forming at 26th & Nicollet, with community members gathering at the shooting site.
January 24, 2026
8:40 PM
The man killed by a US Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis was an ICU nurse, family says
New information:
- The man killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in south Minneapolis is identified by family as an ICU nurse who worked in critical care.
- Family members provide biographical details and describe his professional and personal life, including his role supporting patients and relatives.
- Relatives challenge aspects of the federal account of the shooting, adding their description of what kind of person he was and why he was in the area.
7:06 PM
Minneapolis shooting today: Reaction pours in after man killed by border agent
New information:
- Confirms the latest killing involved a Border Patrol agent, not ICE, though protests and political reaction are still focused on ICE’s presence.
- Documents on‑record responses from Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
- Elevates public framing that this is the third Minneapolis killing by federal agents since Renee Good was shot Jan. 7 and explicitly ties it to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
- Carries a Border Patrol Union statement asserting agents are 'trained extremely well' and framing the incident as a response to a 'supposed peaceful protester' brandishing a loaded handgun.
5:23 PM
Another person in Minneapolis shot and killed by feds
New information:
- Confirms this latest killing is at least the third time in a matter of weeks that federal officers have shot someone in Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge.
- Details contradictions between early federal leaks (leg wound) and subsequent reporting indicating the man was shot in the chest and died, underscoring reliability issues in official accounts.
- Places the shooting explicitly in the pattern of prior federal shootings (Renee Good and a north‑side case) and explains that it further escalates calls for independent investigations, with local officials and civil‑rights groups saying the surge is out of control.
- Reports that protest response after this shooting again involved chemical agents and aggressive crowd control, deepening fears among residents and adding fuel to lawsuits and impeachment calls targeting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
4:55 PM
LIVE UPDATES | Minneapolis shooting: Federal agents fatally shoot man Saturday morning
New information:
- Confirms federal agents (reported as Border Patrol via FOX reporting) fatally shot a man Saturday morning in Minneapolis, making this the third federal-agent shooting in the city since Renee Good was killed Jan. 7.
- Pins the location to the 26th–28th Street West and Nicollet Avenue South area and reports the man was shot in the chest and has died, per FOX 9 sources.
- Reports that protesters quickly gathered at the scene and that federal officers deployed chemical irritants on the crowd; at least one man was detained during the protest.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is coordinating with the Minnesota BCA and publicly demands that federal authorities allow the BCA to process the scene.
- The City of Minneapolis has scheduled an 11:30 a.m. briefing with Mayor Jacob Frey, Chief Brian O’Hara and Emergency Management Director Rachel Sayre, and Frey again publicly calls for ICE to leave Minnesota.
January 15, 2026
3:10 AM
Federal officer shoots person in leg after being attacked during Minneapolis arrest, AP source says
New information:
- AP, citing a federal law‑enforcement source, reports a federal officer shot a person in the leg during an arrest in Minneapolis.
- The AP account corroborates earlier local reporting that this was a federal use‑of‑force incident, not MPD or another local agency.
- The piece reinforces that this shooting is separate from, but follows, the ICE killing of Renee Good amid Operation Metro Surge.