Viral footage fuels outrage after immigration officers kill armed man in Minneapolis

The footage, which has spread rapidly on social media, captures the chaotic scene as several bystanders protested nearby, blowing whistles and shouting at officers.

Around six federal agents are seen forcing Pretti to the ground as tensions escalate.

In a nearly 3-minute video, a woman recording the incident can be heard screaming in disbelief as officers surround Pretti. “What the f*** is wrong with you?” she shouts moments before gunfire erupts.

The videos show officers wrestling Pretti to the ground during a struggle. At one point, an agent appears to seize Pretti’s firearm before firing more than a dozen shots.

Screams erupt immediately after the gunfire, with the woman filming yelling, “What the f*** did you do?!”

Pretti is then seen lying motionless on the ground as officers step back, some keeping their weapons trained on him before cautiously approaching again.

The woman continues shouting in distress, urging someone to call emergency services.

A second video, filmed from a different angle, shows Pretti holding his phone and attempting to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by an immigration officer.

Both are sprayed with tear gas. Moments later, federal agents pull Pretti away, shove him down, and pin him as he struggles on his hands and knees. Seconds after an officer in a gray jacket appears to grab his gun, fatal shots are heard.

Following the shooting, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers were conducting an operation tied to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

She said officers fired “defensive shots” after a man carrying a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara later said investigators believe Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he contacted the White House after the incident and urged President Donald Trump to halt what DHS has described as its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation.

“Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz wrote on X.

The shooting occurred amid daily protests across the Twin Cities, which began after the January 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired into her vehicle. Saturday’s incident took place just over a mile from where Good was killed.