From frigid quiet to outraged sorrow, a few hours on Minneapolis street where agents killed man

Tensions Erupt on Minneapolis’ ‘Eat Street’ Following Fatal Shooting by Immigration Officer

Saturday began as a quiet, frigid morning along Minneapolis’ “Eat Street,” a popular dining corridor south of downtown known for its diverse restaurants and coffee shops. By afternoon, the peaceful scene had transformed into chaos following a deadly confrontation between federal immigration officials and a local man.

Around 9 a.m., a federal immigration officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, sparking immediate outrage in a city already on edge from a similar incident just weeks earlier. The shooting occurred approximately 1.5 miles from where another Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot a local woman on January 7, an incident that had already generated daily protests across the city.

Within an hour of Saturday’s shooting, dozens of protesters converged on the scene, confronting federal agents. Many activists blew whistles—a tactic developed by community networks to alert residents to the presence of federal immigration officers. The crowd quickly swelled into the hundreds, with protesters hurling insults at agents, some of whom reportedly responded with mockery.

For several hours, law enforcement and protesters clashed in the freezing air. Officers repeatedly attempted to disperse the crowd using flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and pepper balls. Each time authorities pushed protesters back from improvised barricades, demonstrators regrouped and reclaimed their position. Approximately five hours after the shooting, following one final push down the street, enforcement officers departed the area in a convoy.

By mid-afternoon, protesters had taken control of the intersection adjacent to the shooting scene, using discarded police tape to establish a perimeter. Some stood atop large metal dumpsters that blocked traffic, while others delivered speeches beside a growing memorial for Pretti. Community members created a circle of tree branches around the memorial site, placing flowers and candles near a snow bank.

Throughout the area, handwritten signs demanded ICE’s immediate departure from Minnesota, many employing strong language that has become common across the Twin Cities in recent weeks. The scene echoed the anger and grief that engulfed Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death in 2020, though Saturday’s protests did not involve the widespread property damage seen during that period.

Law enforcement maintained a distance from the immediate area of the shooting. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara later explained at a news conference that officers and Minnesota National Guard members in yellow safety vests were working to keep the area safe while respecting “lawful, peaceful demonstrations.” Authorities restricted a 6-by-7 block area around the scene to resident traffic only.

The incident further strained relationships between federal and local authorities, who have increasingly traded blame for the rising tensions. Even before the current immigration enforcement surge, networks of thousands of Minneapolis residents had organized to monitor and protest federal immigration activities in their communities.

As evening fell, hundreds maintained a somber vigil at Pretti’s memorial. Local businesses, sports venues, and cultural institutions throughout the area closed citing safety concerns, while some establishments remained open to offer protesters respite from the dangerous cold, providing water, coffee, snacks, and hand warmers.

“It feels like every day something crazier happens,” said Caleb Spike, a community member at the vigil. “What comes next? I don’t know what the solution is.”

The shooting adds to growing concerns about immigration enforcement tactics and community-police relations in Minneapolis, a city still healing from previous incidents of deadly force used by law enforcement.