Man with Two Loaded Magazines Resists Border Patrol Agents in Minneapolis; Officer Fires Defensive Shots

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Saturday, 24 January 2026 02:53 PM EST

U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino stated Saturday that a Minneapolis man shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent approached officers “with a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun” and that the situation “looks like an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

The incident occurred at 9:05 a.m. local time when “DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien” with a criminal history “including domestic assault to intentionally inflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.” During the operation, Bovino identified the deceased man as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti of Minneapolis, who “approached U.S. Border Patrol agents” with the firearm.

“The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted,” Bovino said. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots.” Medics on scene delivered immediate medical aid, but Pretti was pronounced dead at the location.

Bovino described a volatile scene where “about 200 rioters arrived” and “began to obstruct and assault law enforcement.” He noted that Pretti “also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID.”

“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino emphasized. After the shooting, he reported that “about 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement.”

The agent who fired, described by Bovino as “highly trained” with “eight years of service” as a Border Patrol agent and experience as a “range safety officer and less lethal officer,” did not address the subject by name. Bovino stated crowd control measures have been deployed for public and law enforcement safety, adding that “this situation is evolving.”

Bovino criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara for claiming Pretti had only traffic violations on his record and was an American citizen with a legal gun permit. He accused them of omitting the suspect’s possession of a firearm and ammunition magazines, stating: “Mayor Frey and Chief O’Hara… did the opposite of that by omitting the fact that the suspect had a gun and magazines full of ammunition.”

He reiterated that obstructing or assaulting law enforcement violates the law, adding: “If you obstruct a law enforcement officer or assault a law enforcement officer, you are in violation of the law and will be arrested.” Bovino also noted Pretti’s weapon appeared to be “a semiautomatic high-capacity type, possibly a Sig Sauer 9mm,” referencing an image displayed during the briefing.