Minneapolis, MN — In a city already on edge, the breaking point arrived this morning on a frozen street in South Minneapolis.
For the third time in weeks, federal agents operating under the Department of Homeland Security’s “immigration surge” have opened fire on a civilian. The victim, identified by family as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was not a cartel member or a violent fugitive. He was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
But the real story emerging tonight isn’t just the tragic loss of life; it is the unprecedented, open warfare breaking out between local law enforcement and the federal government.
At DailyNewsEdit, we look past the press releases to find the friction points. And right now, the friction point is this: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Governor Tim Walz are openly contradicting the federal narrative.
The Official Line vs. The Reality
Within hours of the shooting, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem released a statement from Washington that painted a clear picture: a “violent suspect” approached Border Patrol agents with a 9mm handgun, “violently resisted” disarmament, and was shot in self-defense.
However, the view from the ground—supported by Minneapolis officials—tells a story that doesn’t match the federal memo.
1. The “Gun” vs. The Phone While DHS claims Pretti approached them with a weapon, eyewitness videos reviewed by CBS and local outlets appear to show Pretti holding a phone in his right hand while defending a legal observer who had been shoved by agents. While Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, family members and video evidence suggest he was not brandishing a weapon when the altercation began.
2. The Blockade of State Investigators In a move that challenges the sovereignty of local law enforcement, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) reported they were physically blocked from accessing the crime scene by DHS agents.
This is the “Edit” angle that matters: Federal agents are not just policing the city; they are policing the police.
When state investigators obtained a signed judicial warrant to enter the scene and investigate the killing of a local resident, federal agents still refused them entry. This has created a “Federal Exclusion Zone” in the middle of an American city where local law enforcement effectively has no jurisdiction.
“It Pisses Me Off”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, a veteran officer who has been working to rebuild trust in the city since 2020, did not mince words.
“I’m concerned that people in the administration don’t actually understand the reality of what’s happening on the street,” O’Hara said, referencing earlier incidents where federal agents targeted U.S. citizens.
Governor Tim Walz went further, calling the federal account “nonsense” and demanding the immediate withdrawal of the federal surge, labeling it an “abomination.”
Why This Matters Now
This is no longer just a story about immigration policy. It is a constitutional crisis playing out on the streets of Minneapolis.
We are witnessing a dangerous precedent where federal “surge” teams—often lacking the specific training for civilian crowd control—are operating with immunity, bypassing local oversight, and overruling state governors.
As protests swell tonight near Nicollet Avenue, the question isn’t just who shot Alex Pretti. The question is: Who is actually in charge of Minneapolis?
The DailyNewsEdit Verdict
The video evidence and the defensive posture of the DHS suggest a federal operation that has lost its precision. When an ICU nurse is shot dead and local police are barred from investigating, we have moved beyond “enforcement” into something far more opaque. We stand with the call for a transparent, independent investigation led by the State of Minnesota, not the agency that pulled the trigger.
