Published January 25, 2026
Protesters have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the killing of an American citizen by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, raising tensions in a city already shaken by the fatal shooting of a mother of three several weeks ago.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters that a 37-year-old Minneapolis man was shot multiple times Saturday and died at a hospital.
Family members identified him as Alex Preti, an intensive care nurse who had previously protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city.
After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and demonstrators clashed with federal agents who brandished batons and fired flashbang grenades.
Officials said the Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Gov. Tim Walz. Security forces were dispatched to the scene of the shooting and to the federal building where officers have daily confrontations with protesters.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal agents were conducting the operation and fired “defensive fire” after a man with a handgun “violently resisted” the man as they approached and attempted to disarm him.
Eyewitness video of the shooting released shortly after shows Preeti holding a cellphone, but not with a visible weapon.
Preti was shot and killed on January 7, about a mile (1.6 km) from the scene where ICE agents killed 37-year-old Renee Good, sparking widespread protests.
