Hundreds Chant Alex Pretti’s Name, Pack Minneapolis Intersection After Fatal Shooting
Hundreds of demonstrators packed a key Minneapolis intersection near West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue Saturday afternoon, chanting the name of Alex Pretti and blocking traffic near the site where federal agents shot and killed him earlier in the day.
The growing crowd and vocal protest sharply intensified the already elevated tensions in Minneapolis, as demonstrators repeatedly filled the roadway and faced off with waves of federal officers and supporting law enforcement.
Local reports and crowd-sourced videos showed protesters shouting Pretti’s name and anti-federal enforcement slogans as the scene remained crowded well into the afternoon. Verified reporting indicates that protesters blocked the intersection, pressed toward federal agents’ lines, and continued chanting as law enforcement responded with crowd control tactics including tear gas and stun grenades.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Minnesota officials arrived later to help manage the scene, but federal agents from DHS and Border Patrol maintained a perimeter around the intersection and the shooting site.
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The protests mark a continuation of unrest following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Pretti during a federal immigration enforcement operation earlier Saturday, a case that has drawn widespread public scrutiny and competing narratives from officials and witnesses.
State leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, have called in the Minnesota National Guard to assist with security amid growing public outrage and sustained demonstrations.
For now, the crowd remains on city streets as protesters chant and press for answers, even as law enforcement seeks to maintain order and clear thoroughfares amid the heightened standoff.
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