After Alex Pretti's killing, a battle of narratives
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 January 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
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Summary
The killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday morning marks a dramatic escalation of what was already a very tense moment for Minneapolis.
Just a day before, thousands of residents marched in a citywide strike organized by faith leaders and labor unions. They were protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the state, including the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Good by an ICE officer earlier this month.
Although it is not clear how Pretti’s interaction with federal agents began on Saturday, bystander footage reviewed by The Post raises questions about Homeland Security’s account of what happened. On Saturday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti – a legal gun owner, who was carrying a gun in or near his waistband when he was killed – had been committing an act of domestic terrorism. According to a Post analysis, federal agents had already secured the handgun he was carrying by the time they fatally shot him.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with national reporter Kim Bellware about the death of Alex Pretti – why many people are worried that his death won’t get a thorough investigation, and how this encounter is raising important questions around America’s gun debate.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Annie Gowen, Lauren Gurley and Gina Harkins.
Follow the latest in The Post’s Minneapolis coverage here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And watch us on YouTube here.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The killing of Alex Preddy on Saturday morning |
| 0:05.4 | is a dramatic escalation of what was already a very tense moment for Minneapolis. |
| 0:15.0 | Now, Minnesota Governor Tim Walls is calling on President Trump |
| 0:18.7 | to pull immigration officers out of Minneapolis. |
| 0:22.1 | Trump says he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. And in court, a federal judge is |
| 0:28.0 | ruling on whether Department of Homeland Security operations in the city are illegal. |
| 0:33.5 | It's a critical time for a city that is still in shock over Preddy's death, and outraged at video |
| 0:39.6 | footage that shows what transpired in the moments before he was shot by Border Patrol. |
| 0:45.4 | For many Minneapolis residents, there is anger and there's intense fear. You can hear that |
| 0:51.9 | from 35-year-old Ben Porter, who spoke to one of our reporters in |
| 0:55.7 | South Minneapolis. Every instance of violence and every video you see, there's a gut-wrenching |
| 1:01.0 | moment where you realize that this is not in any way shape or normal. Ben said that he has |
| 1:09.9 | never felt more afraid and anxious on a daily basis. |
| 1:14.6 | It's the same sort of sentiment that you would encounter to cities or communities that have been |
| 1:19.3 | affected by natural disasters. But in this case, the disaster is the federal government attacking |
| 1:24.3 | us. |
| 1:32.5 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post reports. |
| 1:36.7 | I'm Martine Powers. It's Monday, January 26th. |
| 1:41.6 | Today, we're talking through what we know about the death of Alex Preddy and why people are worried that this shooting won't get a thorough |
| 1:45.7 | investigation. And we'll hear how this encounter is raising important questions around America's |
| 1:52.6 | gun debate and exactly who gets to exercise their Second Amendment right. To do all this, |
| 1:58.1 | I'm turning to my colleague, Kim Bellware, and national reporter based in the Midwest. |
... |
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