Minneapolis Police Chief Questions Border Patrol Tactics as Commander Bovino Reassigned After Killing of Alex Pretti
After Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37‑year‑old Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a federal operation, multiple bystander videos showed him being pepper‑sprayed, wrestled to the ground and appearing to hold only a cellphone while agents fired—contradicting DHS assertions that he approached with a 9mm handgun. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara publicly questioned the federal tactics as Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was reassigned (Tom Homan named lead federal official), amid escalating protests, political backlash and calls for an independent investigation.
📌 Key Facts
- On Jan. 24 federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S. citizen who held a Minnesota permit to carry and had no serious criminal record.
- Multiple bystander videos reviewed by news organizations show Pretti holding a cellphone, being pepper‑sprayed, wrestled to the ground by several masked federal agents, and then struck and shot; the footage does not clearly show him brandishing a gun and shows agents firing multiple rounds while he was on the ground.
- DHS and Border Patrol leaders (including CBP Commander Gregory Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) publicly said Pretti approached agents with a 9mm handgun and framed the incident as an attempted attack—claims echoed by White House aides—but those assertions conflict with the available video evidence.
- Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Governor Tim Walz publicly questioned federal tactics and raised skepticism about the federal account; local leaders (Mayor Jacob Frey, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others) have called for ICE/CBP to leave or for investigations and legal action to follow.
- Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has been reassigned from his Minneapolis post and Tom Homan is reported to be taking over as the lead federal official in the city.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and other local officials expressed concern about preservation of evidence and noted that state investigators appear sidelined while DHS and the FBI retain control of the probe.
- The federal enforcement surge in Minnesota has produced large-scale protests, a coordinated general strike, clergy sit‑ins at the airport, business closures and confrontations with federal agents; DHS also publicly alleged that anti‑ICE protesters followed and harassed Border Patrol agents at gas stations, including throwing food and spitting.
- Political and organizational responses are sharply divided: Democratic lawmakers and local leaders condemned the shooting and demanded independent investigations or funding consequences; some Republicans and federal officials defended agents’ actions; gun‑rights groups and unions (including AFGE) called for a full, transparent inquiry while noting available video does not clearly corroborate the DHS account.
📰 Source Timeline (21)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
1:36 PM
Minneapolis police chief questions federal tactics as Border Patrol commander set to leave city
New information:
- CBS reports that Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has been reassigned and will be leaving his Minneapolis post.
- CBS says border czar Tom Homan will take over as the lead federal official in Minneapolis.
- Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS the video of Alex Pretti’s killing shows "questionable" tactics by federal agents, signaling formal skepticism from local law enforcement.
January 25, 2026
2:53 PM
Gun rights groups challenge shooting of legally armed Minneapolis man
New information:
- Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said there is a 'high likelihood' law enforcement will be 'legally justified' in shooting someone who approaches them with a gun, prompting sharp public condemnation from major gun-rights groups.
- The National Rifle Association publicly called Essayli’s stance 'dangerous and wrong' and warned responsible voices should await a full investigation rather than demonize lawful gun carriers.
- Gun Owners of America stated that the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms while protesting and that the federal government must not infringe on that right.
- The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus demanded a 'full and transparent investigation' and emphasized that there is 'no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers.'
- The article underscores that available videos show Alex Pretti holding a cellphone—not a gun—before officers tackled him, and notes there is currently no footage supporting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s claim that he was 'brandishing' his weapon.
8:25 AM
GOP Sen. Cassidy breaks with Trump over deadly shooting by Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis
New information:
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, R‑La., publicly called the Minneapolis shooting 'incredibly disturbing' and said 'the credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,' demanding a full joint federal and state investigation.
- Cassidy’s stance contrasts with President Trump, who defended the agents on Truth Social, asserted they 'had to protect themselves,' and blamed Minneapolis officials for allegedly calling off local police.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reiterated at a news conference that Pretti approached with a 9mm handgun and two loaded magazines and framed the incident as an attempted 'maximum damage' attack while labeling the broader situation 'domestic terrorism.'
- The article notes the political backdrop that Trump has endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow in a primary challenge to Cassidy, who previously voted to convict Trump in the 2021 impeachment trial.
4:38 AM
Videos, witness accounts of deadly shooting at odds with official statements
New information:
- CBS News verified multiple bystander videos from different angles showing that, in the moments before the confrontation, Alex Pretti’s hands were visibly empty except for a cellphone and no gun was in view.
- Video shows a Border Patrol officer shoving Pretti and another protester, then pepper‑spraying Pretti and trying to force his arm behind his back before a group of officers tackled him and struck him multiple times.
- An officer in a gray jacket is seen reaching into the scrum empty‑handed, then backing away holding what appears to be a gun, with someone shouting “gun, gun,” and another officer appears to press a gun into Pretti’s back as shots are fired.
- The videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot or Pretti holding a gun at any point before or during the takedown, despite DHS claims he “approached” officers with a 9mm handgun; Noem displayed a photo of a recovered pistol but has not addressed the video contradictions.
3:44 AM
Gun rights groups clash after man DHS says was armed fatally shot by CBP in Minneapolis
New information:
- Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued a statement calling the shooting 'deeply concerning,' emphasizing that Alex Pretti was a lawful gun owner and permit‑to‑carry holder, and insisting that 'every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests.'
- The Caucus said there is 'no evidence produced indicating an intent to harm the officers' and demanded a 'full and transparent investigation by both state and federal authorities.'
- The National Rifle Association, by contrast, released an X post blaming Gov. Tim Walz and other 'radical progressive politicians' for 'incit[ing] violence against law enforcement' and urged political leaders to 'lower the temperature' while a use‑of‑force investigation proceeds.
2:25 AM
Frey, Klobuchar call for ICE to leave Minneapolis following deadly CBP shooting in city
New information:
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar publicly stated, “We need ICE out of Minnesota,” arguing ICE and CBP agents are making communities less safe rather than safer.
- Klobuchar said roughly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents now deployed in Minnesota outnumber sworn police officers in Minneapolis and St. Paul by about three to one and exceed the combined force of the 10 metro police departments.
- Mayor Jacob Frey announced the city is filing a declaration the same day as the shooting to urge a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order on Monday to halt the DHS operation.
- Klobuchar linked the current death toll to the surge, saying three people have been shot and two killed in Minnesota ICE/CBP incidents: Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
- Frey said he has requested National Guard assistance to support the Minneapolis Police Department’s roughly 600 officers dealing with both daily crime and protest-driven chaos around federal operations.
1:42 AM
From frigid quiet to outraged sorrow, a few hours on Minneapolis street where agents killed man
New information:
- AP places the shooting at about 9 a.m. on Minneapolis’ Nicollet Avenue 'Eat Street,' roughly 1.5 miles from the Jan. 7 Renee Good ICE killing.
- Two AP journalists arrived within minutes, observed federal agents and a fast‑growing crowd of protesters confronting each other, with protesters using whistles that local networks have organized as ICE alerts.
- The article describes hours of clashes in subzero temperatures, including repeated tear gas, flash‑bangs and pepper balls as officers pushed protesters back from improvised barricades and protesters repeatedly regrouped.
- Roughly five hours after the shooting, federal officers withdrew in a convoy, and protesters physically took over the intersection, blocked it with dumpsters, and built a memorial to Alex Pretti with flowers, candles and branches.
- AP notes the mood among hundreds of protesters as one of "urgent" anger and sorrow, drawing explicit comparisons by residents to the 2020 George Floyd protests, while noting the absence so far of comparable widespread rioting.
1:41 AM
Videos show deadly Minneapolis shooting and political leaders reach different conclusions
New information:
- This article gives a detailed blow‑by‑blow description of multiple bystander videos, showing Pretti repeatedly intervening between officers and protesters, being pepper‑sprayed, wrestled to the ground by at least six masked agents and struck multiple times before shots are fired.
- It reports that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, CBP Commander Gregory Bovino and Trump deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller framed Pretti as attacking officers and a would‑be assassin, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the footage shows untrained federal officers 'pummeling' and killing a constituent.
- The story clarifies that agents were pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault when the clash with protesters, including Pretti, erupted, and that protesters were using whistles, car horns and shouting to disrupt the operation.
1:25 AM
Minneapolis business owners react to deadly shooting: "A neighbor was murdered"
New information:
- Local pub owner Jeff Cowmeadow, whose business sits steps from where Alex Pretti was killed, says Pretti was a neighbor and regular patron and calls the shooting 'a neighbor was murdered' and 'total chaos.'
- Cowmeadow reports shutting down The Prodigal Public House on both Friday and Saturday because of the federal operation and protests, warning of 'ripples' that are economically harming nearby businesses.
- Tomme Beevas, owner of Pimento Jamaican Kitchen on Nicollet Avenue, describes the area as a long‑standing safe space for immigrants that has now been 'violated' by violence on its doorstep and says he used bar stanchions and acted as a volunteer marshal to keep protests peaceful.
- CBS footage and interviews show sub‑zero‑temperature protests, airborne chemical irritants used by federal officers, protesters setting up trash‑can barricades, and Minneapolis police declaring an unlawful assembly while later describing demonstrations as peaceful.
- The article reinforces that multiple videos taken before the shooting show Pretti with nothing in his hands when agents tackle him, despite DHS claims he 'approached' agents with a handgun.
12:20 AM
U.S. citizen shot, killed by federal agents in Minneapolis for second time this month
New information:
- National TV framing that this is the second time in a month federal agents have shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, underscoring a pattern rather than an isolated incident.
- Minneapolis police chief publicly urges residents to keep protests peaceful in response to the latest killing and newly circulated video.
- CBS highlights fresh bystander video of the shooting and frames it as disturbing, suggesting additional visual evidence is now driving public anger and calls for accountability.
January 24, 2026
10:40 PM
Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, killed by federal officers in Minneapolis
New information:
- Details that Pretti was working in an ICU, reportedly at the VA, rather than just identifying him as an AFGE member.
- Provides direct quotes from his father describing his character, his anger over ICE actions in Minneapolis and across the U.S., and a recent family discussion warning him not to engage with officers during protests.
- Offers a step‑by‑step description of the verified video: an officer shoving another person, Pretti stepping in, being sprayed with a canister, wrestled to the ground by multiple officers, and only then shots being fired.
- Documents inflammatory political framing, including White House aide Stephen Miller calling Pretti a "domestic terrorist" and "would‑be assassin" on X, despite the conflicting video evidence.
- Reiterates and integrates statements from Gov. Walz and Chief O’Hara about Pretti’s legal gun permit and lack of serious criminal record, placing official local skepticism directly alongside the DHS version.
10:24 PM
Alex Pretti, 37, identified as man fatally shot by Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis
New information:
- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) publicly identified the man killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis as one of its members, Alex J. Pretti, 37, a Minneapolis resident.
- AFGE says DHS’s claim that Pretti was brandishing a weapon at officers is not clearly established by the social‑media video currently available.
- AFGE states it does not yet know whether the agent who fired the fatal shots is an AFGE member and is urging calm while facts are gathered.
10:00 PM
Minneapolis man killed by federal agents identified as Alex J. Pretti
New information:
- Confirms publicly that the man killed by federal agents in Minneapolis was 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex J. Pretti and spells his name and middle initial.
- Reiterates that federal agents shot and killed him on Saturday in Minneapolis; the piece is a basic identification notice rather than a detailed narrative.
9:28 PM
Stephen Miller accuses Democrats of siding with 'terrorists' after Minneapolis Border Patrol-involved shooting
New information:
- White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted on X accusing Democrats of 'siding with terrorists' after the Minneapolis Border Patrol shooting, calling the dead man a 'would-be assassin.'
- Miller directly replied to Sen. Chris Murphy’s call for ICE to leave Minneapolis and for Congress to cut its funding, framing Murphy’s stance as siding with someone trying to murder agents.
- The Fox piece reemphasizes that Gov. Tim Walz says the slain 37‑year‑old had a lawful permit to carry and amplifies AG Pam Bondi’s letter blaming Minnesota ‘sanctuary’ policies for a claimed 1,300% rise in violence and 3,200% rise in vehicle attacks on ICE officers.
9:26 PM
Man killed by federal officer in Minnesota worked as ICU nurse, his parents say
New information:
- Victim is identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA and an avid outdoorsman.
- Family confirms Pretti was a U.S. citizen born in Illinois with no criminal record beyond minor traffic tickets and that he had taken part in protests over the previous ICE killing of Renee Good.
- DHS statement says Pretti 'approached' Border Patrol officers with a 9mm handgun, but officials have not said he brandished it and the gun is not visible in bystander video reviewed by CBS and AP.
- Family says Pretti owned a handgun and had a Minnesota carry permit, but they had never known him to carry it; Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says he was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a carry permit.
- Pretti’s parents describe learning about the shooting first from an AP reporter and say they struggled to get confirmation from police, Border Patrol, hospitals, and ultimately confirmed his death via the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
9:11 PM
Bondi blames Minneapolis leaders after armed suspect killed, unrest erupts during ICE operation
New information:
- Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a live Fox News interview, squarely blamed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz’s 'sanctuary city' stance for creating conditions that led to the unrest after the shooting.
- Bondi confirmed that federal grand jury subpoenas had been issued to Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Frey, though she declined to discuss the investigation’s details.
- Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino provided DHS’s account that the man approached agents during a targeted immigration operation with a 9mm handgun and two loaded magazines, resisted disarmament, and was shot after a BP agent 'feared for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers.'
- Bondi said she had sent a 'very strong letter' to Walz warning that the federal government would step in if state leaders did not back federal enforcement, and she characterized the protests as 'extremely organized' with matching signs and gas masks.
8:57 PM
Democrats condemn shooting as senators prepare to consider funding for ICE.
New information:
- Federal agents shot and killed 37‑year‑old Minneapolis resident and registered nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti on Jan. 24; he was a U.S. citizen with a firearms permit and no criminal record.
- New York Times video analysis of multiple bystander clips shows Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, when agents took him to the ground, and agents appear to fire at least 10 shots in roughly five seconds while he is on the ground.
- Border Patrol operations chief Gregory Bovino claimed without evidence that Pretti intended to 'massacre' agents, a narrative Gov. Tim Walz publicly called 'nonsense' and 'lies' while saying 'thank God we have video.'
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says she is concerned about preservation of evidence at the crime scene and notes that, as with the earlier killing of Renee Good, state investigators appear to be blocked from leading the probe while DHS and the FBI retain control.
- Democratic senators in Washington are condemning the shooting and are expected to factor it into upcoming debates over ICE and DHS funding.
8:41 PM
Man shot and killed by federal officers in Minnesota was an ICU nurse, his parents say
New information:
- The man killed is identified by his parents as 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, confirmed via a hospital record obtained by AP.
- Gov. Tim Walz says he has been in contact with the White House and publicly urges President Trump to end the immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
- Rep. Robert Garcia, top Democrat on House Oversight, explicitly calls for abolishing ICE and impeaching DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in response to the killing.
- Rep. Brad Schneider, chair of the New Democrat Coalition, calls for every agent involved to be suspended pending a full independent investigation and says Noem must resign or be fired.
- Vice President JD Vance responds by blaming local Minnesota authorities for refusing to cooperate with ICE, saying agents wanted local law-enforcement support so "situations on the ground didn't get out of hand."
- Local store owner Allison Bross opens her shop near the scene as an ad hoc refuge for protesters, offering food, water, restrooms, medical attention and warmth, while a street-side memorial with flowers and candles forms at a bus stop next to the shooting site.
January 23, 2026
9:28 PM
General strike, rally, marches in Minnesota Friday to protest ICE
New information:
- The grassroots response has escalated into a coordinated general strike with hundreds of Twin Cities businesses closed, a call for 'no work, no school, no shopping' and a mass downtown march and arena rally.
- Faith leaders staged a sit‑in style protest at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport aimed directly at airlines moving ICE detainees; organizers say dozens of clergy were arrested.
- The father/5‑year‑old incident is now a central propaganda battle: the Columbia Heights Public School District publicly accuses ICE of using the child as bait, while DHS has broadcast a counter‑narrative accusing the father of abandonment, offered without supporting evidence.
- Prominent local figures, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen, were arrested over a church protest targeting an ICE field‑office pastor and then released Friday, signaling prosecutors’ initial posture on protest‑related cases.
- Border Patrol’s Greg Bovino is now on record alleging Minneapolis police ignored federal calls for help during the surge, a claim MPD explicitly denies, highlighting a breakdown in trust and messaging between local and federal law enforcement.
January 22, 2026
1:02 PM
Minnesota agitators stalk, pelt Border Patrol agents with food and spit at gas stations, DHS says
New information:
- DHS publicly alleges that anti‑ICE protesters in Minneapolis–St. Paul have followed Border Patrol agents to multiple gas stations, yelling at them, blocking law‑enforcement vehicles from leaving and creating 'unsafe conditions.'
- DHS says food was thrown at agents at one stop, and at a later stop someone spat on a Border Patrol agent; when an agent moved to detain the person who spat, DHS claims the surrounding crowd 'tackled and attacked' agents, prompting use of unspecified 'crowd control measures.'
- The article notes these DHS allegations come just before Vice President JD Vance’s planned visit to Minneapolis to deliver 'law and order' remarks, and that President Trump is now publicly labeling Minnesota demonstrators 'paid agitators and insurrectionists' while showcasing mug shots from the 'Worst of the Worst' ICE database.