Man shot, killed by Border Patrol in Minneapolis

Border Patrol officer fatally shoots Minnesota man

A 37-year-old man was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers Saturday morning, marking the third shooting by federal agents in that city this month.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - A 37-year-old man was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers Saturday morning, marking the third shooting by federal agents in that city this month. The shooting prompted a new wave of protests in Minneapolis Saturday evening, with Minnesota activating its national guard.

Cell phone video, widely circulated on social media, shows a struggle involving several border patrol agents and ICU nurse Alex Pretti of Minneapolis, on a city street. Agents appear to yell "gun", and almost immediately several shots are fired.

Border Patrol says agent acted in self-defense

In a press conference shortly after the shooting, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said one of its agents shot and killed Pretti in self-defense, claiming Pretti tried to interfere as agents were working to arrest an undocumented assault suspect.

"During this operation, an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted," said Bovino.

Bovino also told reporters that Pretti had two loaded magazines and no ID.

"This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," said Pretti.

State, local leaders slam feds' version of events

But Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey slammed the federal government's version of events.

"I just saw a video of more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents, shooting him to death," said Frey.

"I'm rejecting the rush to judgment within 15 minutes," said Walz. "It's nonsense, people, it is nonsense and it is lies."

Some noted the video does not appear to show Pretti brandishing a gun, as Border Patrol claims.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says Pretti did have a legal permit to carry.

"This is a 37-year-old white male who is a Minneapolis resident, and we believe he is an American citizen," said O'Hara.

Following the shooting, protesters rushed into the street, with authorities deploying chemicals to disperse the crowd. City officials confirmed two small fires were started.

What they're saying:

"I don't want to be here because it's -10 degrees, but I don't know another way to show how much I'm hurting, said Jacob Olson, who lives near where the shooting happened.

Saturday afternoon, Minnesota's top criminal investigative agency says it was shut out of the shooting scene, despite having a signed search warrant.

"We were once again blocked by federal authorities to go in and do that scene examination," said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.