Outrage grows in Minneapolis after federal agent kills ICU nurse

Outrage is growing in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a local ICU nurse by a federal agent.

(NBC)- Outrage is growing in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a local ICU nurse by a federal agent.

Authorities say 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed Saturday morning by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The shooting has sparked protests across the city, with demonstrators gathering late Sunday night and attempting to enter a hotel where they believed federal agents were staying. Authorities eventually dispersed the crowd.

On Sunday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the state’s National Guard and publicly called for federal agents to leave the state. In a statement, Walz said President Trump should withdraw what he described as untrained agents from Minnesota.

President Trump, meanwhile, blamed Democrats for the unrest, writing that two American citizens have died as a result of what he called Democrat-caused chaos — referring to both Pretti and Renee Good, who was fatally shot earlier this month.

Several Trump administration officials are now facing scrutiny after initially claiming Pretti approached agents with a handgun. However, NBC News analysis of at least four videos of the encounter appears to show Pretti holding a cell phone in the moments before he was shot, as he attempted to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by agents. Video shows Pretti being pepper-sprayed and forced to the ground before gunshots are heard.

Officials say Pretti was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record and was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, though his family strongly disputes the administration’s account. In a statement, Pretti’s family accused federal officials of spreading lies about their son and denied that he was holding a gun when he was attacked.

Overnight, President Trump told The Wall Street Journal his administration is reviewing the shooting, though he did not directly answer whether the agent acted appropriately.

In Minneapolis, Pretti is being remembered as a dedicated ICU nurse, with a growing memorial now marking the spot where he was killed.