Federal agents involved in the killing of 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on paid leave, officials have told U.S. media.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report submitted to Congress this week confirms two officers fired guns during the incident.
The report made no mention of Pretti attacking officers or drawing his gun, contradicting earlier claims by department secretary Kristi Noem.
Authorities said placing the agents on leave is standard protocol after a shooting.
ICE raids
ICE is the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws and deporting people who are in the U.S. without legal permission.
When Trump returned to office in January 2025, he pushed to increase arrests to 3,000 people per day by mid-2025, up from a few hundred.
This month, federal agents were sent to the Minneapolis area, in the U.S. state of Minnesota, to carry out the “largest immigration operation ever”.
Since their arrival, ICE agents have shot and killed two U.S. citizens.
Shooting
Last Saturday (local time), local authorities responded to reports of a shooting involving ICE agents during a “targeted operation” in Minneapolis.
ICE falls under the DHS, which originally alleged Pretti approached agents with a gun.
The agency initially said that as agents attempted to disarm him, Pretti “violently resisted” arrest, leading to an agent firing “defensive shots”.
Video captured by bystanders shows Pretti approaching agents with a phone. It also shows a group of masked agents grabbing Pretti, capsicum-spraying him, and pushing him to the ground. One agent appeared to take a gun from Pretti’s body.
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Once agents were holding Pretti down, the DHS has now confirmed at least two agents fired their guns in quick succession. Pretti received treatment at the scene and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen with no criminal history and a legal permit to carry a gun. He worked as an ICU nurse at a medical centre for U.S. Army veterans.
Report
On Tuesday (local time), the DHS submitted a preliminary report to U.S. Congress to “provide an initial outline” of the killing.
The report came from a DHS agency responsible for investigating allegations of crime or mismanagement by agents.
It said its submission does not make “any definitive conclusions or investigative findings.”
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, DHS portrayed Pretti as the aggressor, alleging he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”.
Several senior government officials made similar claims, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who shared a post on Truth Social accusing Pretti of being a “domestic terrorist”.
This week’s report did not mention Pretti using a gun during the altercation, nor did it suggest he took his gun out during the incident.
It said after the shooting, an agent took Pretti’s gun.
De-escalation
State and federal investigations of the killing are ongoing.
Following public backlash, the Trump administration has adjusted its language about Pretti’s killing, including signalling that ICE could remove its agents from Minneapolis as early as next week.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been leading the push for reduced ICE presence, and for impartial investigations.
