Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Killing of ICU nurse by US border agent sparks protests in Minneapolis, already tense after earlier shootings.

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

A police officer throws a can of tear gas at protesters gathered after a fatal shooting by federal agents on January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. [Stephen Maturen/Getty Images via AFP]

Protesters have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, in the state of Minnesota, after a United States Border Patrol agent killed a US citizen, heightening tensions in a city already shaken by a deadly shooting just weeks earlier of a mother of three.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara told reporters that a 37-year-old man, a Minneapolis resident, died in hospital on Saturday after being shot multiple times.

Family members identified him as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse who had previously protested against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city.

After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered, and protesters clashed with federal officers, who wielded batons and deployed flashbang grenades.

The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Governor Tim Walz, officials said. Guard troops were sent to the site of the shooting and to a federal building where officers have been facing off with demonstrators on a daily basis.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers had been conducting an operation and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him.

In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon afterwards, Pretti is seen holding a mobile phone, but none appears to show him with a visible weapon.

Pretti was shot about 1 mile (1.6km) from the spot where an ICE officer killed 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, which led to widespread protests.

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Protesters take cover behind overturned rubbish containers as federal agents block a downtown street during clashes in Minneapolis. [Kerem Yucel/AFP]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Tensions rose again in Minneapolis after federal agents fatally shot 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti. [Craig Lassig/EPA]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Federal officers fire tear gas canisters at protesters in Minneapolis. [Craig Lassig/EPA]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead the investigation. [Brandon Bell/Getty Images via AFP]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Public outrage was also rekindled earlier this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as federal agents sought to arrest his father. [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Police have appealed for calm from the public and from federal law enforcement. [Craig Lassig/EPA]

Protesters face off with Minneapolis police

Alex Pretti was shot about a mile from the spot where an ICE officer killed 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, an incident that led to widespread protests. [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]

Protesters demand immigration agents leave Minneapolis

Pretti’s family released a statement on Saturday evening saying they are “heartbroken but also very angry” and calling him a kind-hearted soul who wanted to make a difference in the world through his work as a nurse. [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]

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