GOP Senators Demand Probe into Minneapolis Shooting of Nurse

Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse from Minneapolis, on Saturday morning during an immigration enforcement operation on Nicollet Avenue. The incident has drawn calls from Republican senators for a fuller investigation as videos from witnesses contradict parts of the official account from the Department of Homeland Security.

Background

Alex Pretti worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. He had no criminal record and held a valid permit to carry a gun as a lawful owner in Minnesota. The shooting happened around 9 a.m. on Saturday amid a federal push on immigration enforcement in the city. Border Patrol agents were chasing a man in the country illegally, wanted for domestic assault. A group of bystanders, including Pretti, gathered nearby. Some blew whistles, honked car horns, and yelled at the officers to disrupt the operation.

Protests against these federal actions have picked up in Minneapolis in recent weeks. Less than three weeks earlier, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good in a separate incident. Tensions run high between local authorities and federal teams carrying out deportations. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reviewed videos of Pretti's shooting and called the federal self-defense claim nonsense. State investigators faced blocks from Department of Homeland Security representatives, even with a judge-signed search warrant in hand.

Pretti joined others watching the agents detain someone in the street. Witnesses say he stepped in to help direct traffic and assist a woman. Videos captured the moments leading up to the shooting from multiple angles. Federal officials say Pretti approached officers with a 9mm handgun and attacked them. But footage shows him holding a phone to record the scene.

Key Details

The sequence unfolded fast over a few minutes. At 8:58 a.m., Pretti held up his phone toward a federal officer on Nicollet Avenue, filming a nearby detention. A second officer with pepper spray came close at 8:58:22. Seven seconds later, an officer pushed Pretti toward the sidewalk.

By 8:59, another bystander started recording. Pretti kept his phone raised as agents worked in the street. At 9:00:21, two people who had been pepper-sprayed talked with an agent. Cars passed, and the officer warned about traffic.

Timeline of the Confrontation

At 9:00:41, the officer yelled at civilians not to push anyone into traffic and shoved them toward Pretti. Pretti still held his phone up. Nine seconds later, at 9:00:50, the officer sprayed Pretti with pepper spray. Pretti raised his hand, possibly to signal he was no threat or shield someone with a backpack. The spray hit him right away.

Three seconds on, at 9:00:53, the officer sprayed the other two civilians again. Pretti stumbled into the backpack person and grabbed to steady himself. At 9:00:56, the officer pulled Pretti into the street by his coat hood.

Then came the shots. At 9:01:16, the first shot rang out. One second later, three more followed. Pretti fell limp. Within three seconds, six additional shots fired in under five seconds total, per audio analysis. Agents stepped back from his body.

A doctor at the scene noted in a sworn statement that Pretti had at least three bullets in his back, one in his upper chest, and possibly one in his neck. At 9:01:45, an officer checked him. Seventy-four seconds after the first shot, at 9:02:28, an agent in a gray jacket said, "I got the gun. I got the gun," and walked from the struggle with a handgun.

Videos show Pretti with a phone in his right hand and nothing in his left before the shots. The gray-jacket agent reached into the scuffle empty-handed and came out with the gun, turning away as the first shot sounded.

"What the videos depict is that this guy did not walk up to anybody from CBP in a threatening manner," said John Cohen, former acting DHS undersecretary for intelligence. "For [DHS] to construe that he arrived at that location with the intent to shoot those border patrol officers, there's nothing in the video evidence that we've seen thus far that would support that."

A witness in a sworn statement said Pretti did not approach with a gun but with a camera. "The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them," the witness added. "It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help a woman get up. They just threw him to the ground."

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem held a news conference Saturday. She said Pretti arrived to inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said officers acted in self-defense while disarming Pretti.

U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order Saturday against DHS. It bars the department from destroying or altering evidence, including items taken from the scene. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara had state agents return Sunday to canvass for more witnesses and evidence.

What This Means

Republican senators have added their voices to calls for a complete investigation. They want a closer look at the federal account versus the videos and witness statements. This comes as divisions grow within the party over ICE and Border Patrol tactics, especially with a possible government shutdown on the horizon.

President Donald Trump said his administration is reviewing the shooting. The split between federal and state officials highlights bigger issues in immigration enforcement. Local leaders blocked at the scene point to questions about who controls investigations when federal agents are involved.

Pretti's death as a local nurse and gun permit holder raises stakes for bystanders near operations. Protests may intensify if federal teams keep up the pace. The restraining order ensures evidence stays intact for now, but state and federal probes could clash further.

Lawmakers from both sides watch closely. The rapid shots, back wounds, and gun retrieval timing fuel demands for body camera footage and full forensics. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension leads the state effort, while DHS defends its agents. Families and communities await answers on how a phone in hand turned deadly.