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Timeline: How the Shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti Unfolded

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Timeline: How the Shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti Unfolded

Federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, at about 9 a.m. Central time on Saturday morning. A video shared with The New York Times by an eyewitness and her lawyer, as well as other video footage posted on social media, documents the violent scene, where agents appear to fire at least 10 shots in a span of only five seconds.

The footage seems to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the event, which the agency said began after the victim approached the federal agents with a handgun and the intent to “massacre” them.

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48 seconds before shooting

Still from video shared with The Times. The New York Times

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Videos show a small group of civilians standing in the middle of a street where a person has recently been detained on the ground; the civilians are speaking to federal agents. Mr. Pretti appears to be filming the scene, and he walks closer to the federal agents while holding his phone.

25 seconds before

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Still from video by Philophon via Reddit. The New York Times

Leading up to this moment, one agent shoved two people away from a D.H.S. vehicle and into the street. Mr. Pretti attempted to put himself between the D.H.S. agent and the two civilians, and the agent pushed one of them to the ground. The video shows the same agent squirting pepper spray in the direction of Mr. Pretti’s face. (This agent will later fire shots at Mr. Pretti.)

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Mr. Pretti is holding his phone in one hand, and he holds his other hand up to protect against the spray.

17 seconds before

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Still from video by witness shared with The Times. The New York Times

Several agents grab at Mr. Pretti, who is still holding his phone. Additional agents approach and attempt to pin Mr. Pretti to the ground.

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11 seconds before

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Still from video by Philophon via Reddit. The New York Times

Mr. Pretti is surrounded by a group of seven agents, some of whom have wrestled him to the ground. One of the agents, who wears a gray coat, begins to approach the fray with empty hands and grabs at Mr. Pretti, while the other agents hold him down on his knees. At the same time, another agent strikes Mr. Pretti repeatedly with a pepper spray canister.

1 second before

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Still from video shared with The Times. The New York Times

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The agent in the gray coat appears to pull a gun from near Mr. Pretti’s right hip. He then begins to move away from the skirmish with the recovered weapon.

At the same time, another agent unholsters his firearm and points it at Mr. Pretti’s back.

First shot fired

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Still from witness video via Associated Press. The New York Times

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The agent in the gray coat removes the weapon, which matches the profile of a gun D.H.S. says belonged to Mr. Pretti, from the scene. Then, while Mr. Pretti is on his knees and restrained, the agent standing directly above him appears to fire one shot at Mr. Pretti at close range. He immediately fires three additional shots.

Additional shots fired

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Still from video shared with The Times. The New York Times

Several agents have moved away from Mr. Pretti, who has collapsed. Another agent — the same one who shoved the civilians into the street and pepper-sprayed Mr. Pretti — unholsters his gun and fires at Mr. Pretti. The first agent also fires additional shots. Together, they fire six more shots at Mr. Pretti while he lies motionless on the ground.

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At least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds. By the moment of the 10th shot, the agent who had moved away with the recovered weapon has crossed the street.

Mr. Pretti is the second person to have been shot and killed by a federal agent in Minnesota in recent weeks. Footage of Mr. Pretti’s death in Minneapolis was posted to social media almost immediately after the shooting.

The Homeland Security Department said that the episode began after a man approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun, and that an agent fired “defensive shots.” Another incident in Minneapolis this month, in which a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by a federal agent, was also characterized as “defensive” by the department.

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Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota disputed the claims by federal officials that Mr. Pretti had posed a threat. He accused “the most powerful people in the federal government” of “spinning stories and putting up pictures.”

Brian O’Hara, the chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, said that Mr. Pretti was an American citizen with no criminal record, and that he had a valid firearms permit. Under Minnesota law, citizens can legally carry a handgun in public, without concealment, if they have a permit.

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Large crowds of protesters continued to gather throughout the day at the site of Mr. Pretti’s shooting. Later in the day, Mr. Walz authorized the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard, who will wear neon reflective vests to differentiate themselves from federal agents.

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Supreme Court allows California to use new congressional map, giving Democrats a boost

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Supreme Court allows California to use new congressional map, giving Democrats a boost

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that voters approved, delivering a major victory for Democrats ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

The decision came down in a one-sentence order that provided no explanation or dissents. Republicans had asked the high court to block California’s redrawn district lines, alleging they were racially gerrymandered.

The map, drawn by Democratic lawmakers and passed by voters last November through the Proposition 50 ballot measure, gives the party an opportunity to pick up as many as five House seats as it seeks to win a majority in the chamber this fall.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was a lead proponent of the redistricting push, branding it as a response to a new map enacted last summer in Texas at President Donald Trump’s urging, which could similarly net Republicans up to five seats.

“Donald Trump said he was ‘entitled’ to five more Congressional seats in Texas. He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November,” Newsom wrote on X.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed Democratic lawmakers to draw a new congressional map last year.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images file

The California Republican Party, joined by Trump’s Justice Department, sued in federal court to have the new map blocked, alleging that it illegally relied on race.

A federal district court had ruled last month to refuse to block it, concluding that the lines were drawn on a partisan basis, not a racial one as Republicans had argued.

Republicans had asked the Supreme Court to act by Feb. 9. The candidate filing deadline in California is March 6 and the primary is June 2.

Last year, Democrats in Texas made a similar argument to one Republicans made in California when seeking to block the new map in their state from going into effect. Texas Democrats claimed that GOP lawmakers had unlawfully considered race when drawing the state’s new map. A lower court briefly blocked the Texas map before the Supreme Court ruled in December that Texas could implement it for the 2026 elections.

The Texas map, which was pursued at Trump’s urging, sparked an unusually active mid-decade redistricting cycle, with both parties angling for an advantage as they vie for control of the narrowly divided House. Typically, states redraw congressional boundaries at the start of each decade after the new census results.

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Newsom had pushed hard for Democrats’ redistricting plan, repeatedly accusing Trump and Republicans of “rigging” the midterm elections with their decision to redraw congressional maps around the country. California Democrats named the bill that authorized the ballot measure special election the Election Rigging Response Act.

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Video: Trump Signs Bill to End Partial Government Shutdown

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Video: Trump Signs Bill to End Partial Government Shutdown

new video loaded: Trump Signs Bill to End Partial Government Shutdown

transcript

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Trump Signs Bill to End Partial Government Shutdown

President Trump signed a spending package on Tuesday that reopened major parts of the government, as well as fund the Department of Homeland Security as negotiations over restrictions on the administration’s immigration crackdown continue.

“I’m thrilled to sign the Consolidated Appropriations Act to immediately reopen the federal government. Thank you.” “Get the (expletive) out of here!”

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President Trump signed a spending package on Tuesday that reopened major parts of the government, as well as fund the Department of Homeland Security as negotiations over restrictions on the administration’s immigration crackdown continue.

By Nailah Morgan

February 4, 2026

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Video: NASA Delays Artemis II Rocket Launch Until at Least March

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Video: NASA Delays Artemis II Rocket Launch Until at Least March

new video loaded: NASA Delays Artemis II Rocket Launch Until at Least March

transcript

transcript

NASA Delays Artemis II Rocket Launch Until at Least March

NASA delayed the Artemis II mission on Tuesday after detecting hydrogen leaks. The mission was scheduled to circle the moon with four astronauts.

As we began that pressurization, we did see that the leak within the cavity came up pretty quick. We did a cutoff, which is a normal safing activity for us.

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NASA delayed the Artemis II mission on Tuesday after detecting hydrogen leaks. The mission was scheduled to circle the moon with four astronauts.

By Jackeline Luna

February 3, 2026

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