Federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, in the second fatal shooting of a civilian during the Trump administration’s unprecedented operation in the city, sparking fresh protests and outrage from state officials.
The death came less than three weeks after US citizen Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE) officer.
On Saturday, as after Good’s death, federal and local officials offered differing assessments of the man’s killing, while video of the altercation quickly spread online.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead the investigation.
“The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a press conference.
Federal authorities controversially blocked local investigators from jointly probing Good’s death.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) insisted the man killed Saturday, identified by local media as 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, “approached” agents with a pistol and then “violently resisted” being disarmed.
However video of the incident, which AFP has not verified, shows Pretti on a snow-covered sidewalk apparently trying to shield a woman protester from being doused with chemical spray, when an agent pulls Pretti to the icy road.
Several agents then struggle to detain him, and seconds later an officer opens fire on Pretti, whose body is then shot multiple times from a distance.
Crowds quickly gathered in the wake of the shooting, despite the sub-freezing temperatures and making state law enforcement unable to secure the scene, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bob Jacobson told a briefing.
US President Donald Trump meanwhile ratcheted up his war of words with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democratic leaders of “inciting insurrection” with their rhetoric.
Trump has previously threatened to send troops to Minnesota by invoking the Insurrection Act.
Frey urged Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which has sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.
“This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment -- let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation.”
Police chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” had erupted after the shooting and urged residents to avoid the area.
Officers who declared the protest an unlawful assembly deployed clouds of tear gas as the crowd grew and used dumpsters to make blockades on the road in the busy south Minneapolis neighborhood known for its restaurants.
Local resident Maria, 56, told AFP the situation in the city was “escalating.”
“They’re attacking and terrorizing our communities right now,” she said describing the situation as “white terror.”
DHS wrote on X that “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and that its officers tried to disarm the man who they say “violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS said.
O’Hara said police believed the victim was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Minnesota allows the open carrying of firearms with a permit.
Earlier, Walz said he had discussed “another horrific shooting by federal agents” with the White House.
“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” he said on X.
“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar called the shooting “an execution” and accused Trump of transforming Minneapolis into a “war zone.”
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city, as Trump presses a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants.
Minneapolis has been rocked by increasingly tense protests since federal agents shot and killed Good, a US citizen, on January 7.
An autopsy concluded that the killing was a homicide, a classification that does not automatically mean a crime was committed.
Public outrage was rekindled this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as agents sought to arrest his father.
The Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday canceled their NBA fixture in the city following the incident, and an afternoon carnival parade was also scrapped.
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