Videos shed light on second Minneapolis ICE shooting
Videos and a newly filed witness declaration, along with released video footage, add detail to the spate of recent Minneapolis ICE shootings — though the declaration specifically describes the Nicollet & 28th killing of Alex Pretti, not the later Hawthorne incident. The sworn testimony, now part of a federal civil case against DHS leadership over Metro Surge tactics, alleges agents used pepper spray and physical force on bystanders immediately before the fatal shots and says the witness did not see a gun in Pretti’s hands.
📌 Key Facts
- The new sworn declaration and related videos specifically concern the Nicollet & 28th shooting that killed Alex Pretti (the first south‑side killing), not the later Hawthorne incident.
- The declaration has been attached to a federal civil lawsuit targeting DHS leadership over Metro Surge tactics, expanding the case's evidentiary base beyond raw video.
- Plaintiffs now have live‑witness testimony, in addition to video, that ICE agents used pepper spray and physical force on multiple observers immediately before the fatal shots.
- A witness gave sworn testimony that they saw no gun in Pretti’s hands at any point during the encounter.
- That sworn account reinforces what video reviewers had already suggested about Pretti not holding a weapon.
- The combination of video, live‑witness testimony and the sworn declaration broadens the factual record available to plaintiffs challenging ICE/DHS conduct in Minneapolis.
📊 Relevant Data
Armed demonstrations are nearly six times as likely to turn violent or destructive compared to unarmed demonstrations.
Armed Assembly: Guns, Demonstrations, and Political Violence in America — Everytown Research & Policy
In 2023, the incarceration rate for native-born Americans was 1,221 per 100,000, which is higher than the rates for legal immigrants (613 per 100,000) and illegal immigrants (lower than natives).
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Analysis of 2019 data shows that Venezuelan immigrants commit substantially fewer crimes, including fewer violent crimes, than the native-born population relative to their share in the population.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions: A Review of Data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile — Brookings Institution
There are around 70,000 Venezuelan-owned businesses in the US contributing approximately $62 billion to the economy.
Measuring Venezuelan American Impact on the US Economy — Caracas Chronicles
Years of economic and social crisis, political repression, insecurity, and collapsing institutions have forced millions of Venezuelans to leave the country.
Voices of the Venezuelan diaspora after Maduro's ouster — CNN
US immigration agents were involved in 29 shooting incidents under the second Trump administration as of January 2026, including 16 instances of shooting at people.
US immigration agents shot at people 16 times under Trump's second administration — The Guardian
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Clarifies that the detailed account in the new declaration specifically concerns the Nicollet & 28th shooting of Alex Pretti (the first south‑side killing), not the later Hawthorne incident.
- Shows that, in addition to video, plaintiffs now have live‑witness testimony that agents used pepper spray and physical force on multiple observers immediately before the fatal shots.
- Establishes that the witness saw no gun in Pretti’s hands at any point, adding sworn testimony to what video reviewers have already suggested.
- Documents that this declaration is already attached to a federal civil case targeting DHS leadership over Metro Surge tactics, expanding the evidentiary base beyond raw video.