Armed federal agents murdered another innocent civilian in Minneapolis yesterday. As she did after an ICE agent murdered Renee Good less than two weeks ago, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Alex Pretti was at 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue committing “domestic terrorism“.
A witness who now fears Noem and DHS will come after her swears in a deposition filed yesterday in Minnesota federal court says Alex Pretti was no terrorist. Pretti was among several residents observing and documenting federal agents’ activities. Pretti was also directing traffic. According to the witness, Pretti was trying to help a woman get up after federal agents pushed her to the ground when the agents fatally attacked him:
2. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at about 8:50 am, I was getting ready to go to work when I heard whistles outside. I knew the whistles meant that ICE agents were in the area, so I decided to check it out on my way to work. I’ve been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors. Connecting to your local community and knowing who your neighbors are is something I profoundly value.
3. I drove to Nicollet Ave. and 26th where I could hear the whistles coming from. I turned south onto Nicollet. There were already several ICE agents there and they’d set up a sort of vehicle convoy on Nicollet and 28th. There were also about 15 observers there, recording and observing ICE.
4. I saw ICE agents surrounding cars and punching car windows. I also saw them stopping vehicles further down Nicollet, so I backed up because I didn’t feel safe continuing on.
5. I noticed a man sort of acting to help traffic move more smoothly. He helped me find a place to park. I got out with my whistle and my camera. I went over to him and said something like, “I’m going to film and use my whistle.”
6. It seemed like most ICE activity was happening a little farther down the street from us, near 27th. Someone was being thrown to the ground.
7. I started recording. There was an agent by a car across the street. Two observers were a few feet away from the agent, blowing their whistles. One was wearing a backpack.
8. I and the man who was observing and helping direct traffic were standing in the street. There was a phone in the man’s hand recording a video.
9. An agent approached and asked us to back up, so I moved slowly back onto the sidewalk.
10. The man stayed in the street, filming as the other observers I mentioned earlier were being forced backward by another ICE agent threatening them with pepper spray. The man went closer to support them as they got threatened, just with his camera out. I didn’t see him reach for or hold a gun.
11. Then the ICE agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him.
12. Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes.
13. The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn’t see him touch any of them—he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.
14. I don’t know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.
15. The video I recorded of what happened accurately depicts the events leading up to the agents shooting him and several minutes afterwards. The video is attached as Exhibit 1.
16. I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong. The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.
17. I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don’t feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don’t know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they’re not telling the truth about what happened. I’ve heard that other witnesses might have been arrested and taken to the Whipple Building.
18. I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined—it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bear witness, because it can’t just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values.
I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct [emphasis mine; Declaration of witness to the murder of Alex Pretti, Tincher et al. v. Noem et al., Case No. 0:25-cv-04669, U.S. District Court of Minnesota, 2026.01.24].
This witness is testifying under oath to what she saw with her own eyes. As has occurred in multiple cases of use of force by DHS agents, the federal government is lying. The domestic terrorists in Minneapolis are ICE, Border Patrol, and the Department of Homeland Security. Pull those terrorists out of Minnesota. Defund ICE. Impeach Noem. Restore law and order before Trump’s brownshirts murder anyone else.
Related Sworn Testimony: In another declaration filed yesterday, a doctor who witnessed the murder of Alex Pretti corroborates the above witness’s testimony. From the doctor’s apartment window, the doctor “saw [Pretti] yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind.” After seeing at least four agents point guns at Pretti and “shoot the man at least six or seven times,” the doctor rushed down to help the victim. ICE agents did not appear to be rendering first aid did not let the doctor through at first. When an agent finally allowed the doctor to assess Pretti, the doctor found Pretti on his side, not on his back as he would have been if the agents had tried to administer CPR. The doctor found “at least three bullet wounds in his back.”
Related Tactical Analysis: The Washington Post spotlights video showing that federal agents removed a handgun from Pretti’s belt, behind his back, before shooting him.
~ LET IT BE KNOWN FAR AND WIDE ~
KRISTI NOEM WILL HAVE YOU MURDERED AND LIE ABOUT IT TO DISGUISE HERSELF AS LEGITIMATE!
This whole illegal immigration roundup is out of control. The amount of money spent to deport illegal immigrants is just not warranted. The amount of money spent to deport illegal immigrants is out of control and just adding to the ballooning deficit.
ICE should be looking for the dangerous immigrants in a smart way by doing good detective style investigations. If that was done, I’m sure EVERY local law enforcement agency would work with ICE. Honestly if this illegal immigration roundup was done properly, local law enforcement would notify ICE, so ICE could make their arrest.
What is happening is just totally political and theater for the MAGA cult.