The vuideo footage, widely shared online, suggests the victim was no longer a threat when US federal agents fired at him, fueling accusations of a cold-blooded execution and calls for an independent probe.
BY PC Bureau
January 26, 2026: Newly surfaced video footage of the fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is fuelling allegations that a federal agent killed him after he had already been disarmed, raising serious questions about whether the shooting amounted to an execution rather than self-defence.
The footage, now widely circulated online, appears to show Pretti—a 37-year-old intensive care nurse—being forcibly restrained by multiple federal agents before one officer removes a 9 mm handgun from his waistband. Moments later, despite Pretti being pinned to the ground and no longer armed, a burst of gunfire is heard.
Authorities under the Trump administration have claimed the agent fired in fear for his life. However, the sequence visible in the video has prompted civil rights advocates and legal analysts to argue that the shooting occurred after the perceived threat had been neutralised.
The video shows as many as eight federal agents surrounding Pretti near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue, amid ongoing protests against the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. During the struggle, one agent is clearly seen pulling a firearm from Pretti’s clothing. Seconds later, approximately 10 shots ring out.
Crucially, the footage does not show Pretti regaining access to the weapon or posing an immediate threat after it is removed—undermining the official claim that lethal force was unavoidable.
One of the several agents ganging up on the victim disarmed him prior to another agent shooting the victim as seen here. pic.twitter.com/bFGqdk9QwN
— Visitor (@AbstractHermit) January 24, 2026
Additional clips circulating online further challenge the government’s narrative. In one, Pretti is seen holding only a mobile phone, with one hand raised, moments before agents rush him. No publicly available video shows him aiming or firing a weapon at officers.
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Despite this, senior officials issued inflammatory and contradictory statements after the killing.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an agent fired “defensive shots,” while Border Patrol official Greg Bovino claimed Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement”—an assertion for which no evidence has been publicly produced.
Pretti’s family has accused federal authorities of deliberately lying to justify what they describe as an unlawful killing.
“Alex was disarmed, restrained, and no longer a threat,” the family said in a statement. “He was shot anyway. The lies told about our son to excuse this killing are horrifying.”
Minneapolis has since seen days of protests, with demonstrators accusing federal agents of operating with impunity. Pretti was the third US citizen shot by federal officers in the city in recent weeks, and the second to die during protests linked to immigration enforcement.
As calls grow for an independent investigation, the footage has become a central piece of evidence in what critics say may amount to a cold-blooded killing carried out under the cover of federal authority—one that starkly contradicts official claims of self-defence.
