WASHINGTON, D.C. January 24, 2026 – In a tense press conference held at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Response Coordination Center on Saturday, January 24, 2026, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal immigration officers earlier that day, describing the incident as an act of self-defense against an armed aggressor intent on harming law enforcement.
The shooting, which occurred in Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood just before 9 a.m. local time, claimed the life of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S. citizen. According to DHS officials, Pretti was killed during a confrontation between federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and a group of protesters demonstrating against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Pretti was identified by local authorities and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which is investigating the incident alongside federal agencies.
During the press conference, broadcast live from FEMA headquarters, Secretary Noem displayed an image of a handgun allegedly recovered from the scene, asserting that Pretti had drawn the weapon on officers. “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem stated, emphasizing that the agents acted in self-defense. She further alleged that a protester had bitten an HSI agent’s finger during the chaos, and hinted at deploying additional ICE agents to Minneapolis to maintain order amid ongoing demonstrations.
Noem also tied the incident to broader immigration enforcement efforts, blaming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for what she described as “fraud” and lax policies that she claimed contributed to the unrest. She made no direct acknowledgment of conflicting eyewitness accounts or video evidence suggesting otherwise, instead focusing on the need to “enforce immigration law and hold violent demonstrators accountable.”
The press conference comes amid escalating tensions in Minneapolis, where protests against federal immigration raids have intensified. This is the second fatal shooting involving federal agents in the city in recent weeks, following the killing of Renee Good two weeks prior, which also sparked clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators. Eyewitnesses and video footage circulating on social media depict Pretti intervening to assist a woman who was being shoved and pepper-sprayed by agents, with some accounts claiming a gun was disarmed by one officer before Pretti was shot by another. DHS maintains that Pretti was armed and posed an immediate threat, but the BCA has reported that federal authorities denied them access to the shooting scene, complicating the investigation.
Public reaction has been swift and divided. On social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), the DHS’s announcement of the press conference drew hundreds of critical responses, with users accusing Noem of misleading the public and referencing her past controversies, including the killing of her family dog. Protests continued in Minneapolis throughout the day, with calls for Noem’s resignation and demands for an independent probe into the shooting.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed Pretti’s identity but noted that local police were not directly involved, deferring to federal investigators. Governor Walz has not yet issued a public statement on the press conference, though state officials have expressed concern over the federal response.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of a major winter storm impacting the region, which Noem briefly mentioned as complicating operations but did not elaborate on during the briefing. DHS has promised a full review, but critics argue the administration’s hardline stance on immigration is fueling unnecessary violence.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor developments in this story.
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