Minneapolis shooting today LIVE: Alex Pretti shot, killed by federal agents in Minnesota, officials say; DHS says man was armed

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal agent shot and killed an armed man in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, federal officials said.

The Department of Homeland Security alleged the man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”

“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming,” the agency added.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara provided some details about the shooting during a press conference on Saturday.

O’Hara said the victim, a 37-year-old white Minneapolis resident, was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.

The 37-year-old American citizen killed by a Border Patrol agent was identified as Alex Pretti, according to the AFGE Professional Local 3669, which represents professional employees affiliated with the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

“[A] member of our union lost their life today, and that alone is devastating. Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own,” the union said.

The American Nurses Association also released a statement saying it is “deeply disturbed” by the Pretti’s death.

The ANA is calling for a “a full, unencumbered investigation” and urged findings to be shared with Pretti’s family and the public.

The Associated Press reported that Pretti worked as an ICU nurse.

O’Hara said that the shooting victim’s only interaction with law enforcement was traffic tickets.

“We believe he is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry,” the chief said of the man shot by federal agents on Saturday.

Minnesota’s gun laws permit open carrying a handgun as long as the gun owner has a valid permit.

A worker at a nearby business confirmed to ABC News that they witnessed a shooting and said they were “currently dealing with the fallout.”

A White House official confirmed to ABC News that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he spoke with the president about the situation.

“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” he said. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”

A visibly angry Walz lashed out against President Trump, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and other administration officials over the shooting and reiterated his call for federal agents to leave the state.

He lambasted DHS for their statements and comments after the shooting and alleged they are trying to “spin” the narrative before an investigation had been completed.

“Minnesotans are witnessing and we’re creating a log of evidence for the future prosecution of ICE agents and officials responsible for this,” he said.

Walz said he spoke with the White House chief of staff twice Saturday. He said he asked for the removal of federal agents from the state and said that Minnesota would investigate the incident.

“Do I have any confidence that Donald Trump will do the right thing?” No I have no confidence that Donald Trump will do the right thing,” he said.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Commissioner Bob Jacobson told reporters that there were no BCA or public safety agents at the crime scene.

Jacobson said that DHS pulled out of the scene leaving it to local law enforcement.

“We did not have enough resources to be able to hold that ground safely, and we had to leave that scene, because of the number of people available and the safety of those in the public and the safety of our teams ” he said.

Jacobson said the BCA is engaged and involved but would not provide more details.

“They killed a man, created chaos …. and then we’re left to clean up,” Walz later added.

Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that the Department of Homeland Security denied his agents from accessing the crime scene after the shooting

Evans said he obtained a search warrant from a judge.

“We had a signed warrant and we were stilled denied access,” he said.

Evans said he has never had a federal agency deny local investigators access to a crime scene in his over 20 years of experience.

The federal agents left the scene, but due to security concerns the BCA team could not collect evidence from the scene. DHS is running the investigation, according to Evans.

Evans, however, said his agency is talking to witnesses, gathering video and other evidence from outside of the scene.

At an earlier press conference with O’Hara, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey again criticized Trump and his administration over the death of the Minneapolis man.

“I just saw a video of more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death. How many more residents? How many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” he said during the news conference.

The mayor took a subtle jab at Vice President JD Vance who earlier this week came to the city and alleged that local and state officials were not doing enough to “turn down the temperature.”

I’m done being told that our community members are responsible for the vitriol in our streets. I’m done being told that our local elected officials are solely responsible for turning down the temperature,” Frey said.

The mayor contrasted the actions of the federal agents with those of his constituents noting that 15,000 people protested in the streets Friday and there were no reports of vandalism or violence.

After the shooting, bystanders gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home.

Federal agents were seen deploying tear gas at protesters near the location of the reported shooting.

One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.” Agents elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car.

Minneapolis state patrol issued a warning to the crowd gathered outside of the shooting, saying the protest was an “unlawful assembly.” They ordered the crowd to disperse.

There were no immediate reports of arrests.

Border Control Commander at Large Greg Bovino held a brief news conference around 1 p.m. local time and reiterated the details about the shooting DHS had previously provided.

The Border Patrol commander alleged a Border Patrol agent shot the 37-year-old man after he allegedly approached border patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and “violently resisted” when agents tried to disarm him.

The shooting came amid widespread daily protests in the Twin Cities since the Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was killed when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired into her vehicle.

It also comes a day after thousands of demonstrators protesting the crackdown on immigrants crowded the city’s streets in frigid weather, calling for federal law enforcement to leave.

Further information was not immediately available.

The Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office launched a website that allows anyone with evidence for Saturday’s shooting, including video, to submit it to local investigators.

The site is also being used to collect evidence for Renee Good’s shooting.

The NBA announced Saturday that the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was scheduled to take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, was postponed to Sunday.

“The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” the league said in a statement.

Full DHS statement:

“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.

The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.

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.

The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID-this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.

About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.

This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.