In a dramatic escalation of tensions in Minneapolis, two individuals involved in ongoing protests reportedly bit off a law enforcement officer’s finger. This incident follows the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents.

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American, was shot by a Border Patrol agent shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday. The shooting occurred near Glam Doll Donuts at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue and was captured on video.

The incident sparked widespread protests across the city. Demonstrators took to the streets, using dumpsters and restaurant furniture to block roads, while federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper balls. Military-style vehicles were also deployed to the scene.

Tricia McLaughlin, who serves as the assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, confirmed that a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officer suffered a severe injury as a result of the violence. “A rioter bit off our HSI officer’s finger,” McLaughlin revealed, noting that the officer would permanently lose the finger.

On Saturday afternoon, McLaughlin took to social media to address the situation, stating, “In Minneapolis, these rioters attacked our law enforcement officer, resulting in the loss of an HSI officer’s finger.” Her comments highlight the heightened tension and violence that have gripped the city.

In an attached photo, an officer wearing an HSI uniform held out his hand, showing a chunk of his right ring finger completely missing with only blood on it. 

Another graphic photo appeared to show the severed piece – including the nail – placed carefully in a clear medical container. 

Of the four photos McLaughlin posted, two depicted the alleged unidentified ‘rioters’ she claimed were the culprits. 

Two ‘rioters’ allegedly bit off an HSI officer’s finger amid intensifying protests in Minneapolis following the shooting death of a US citizen by federal agents

A Border Patrol agent fatally shot 37-year-old American citizen Alex Jeffrey Pretti (pictured) just after 9am Saturday 

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of Homeland Security said an HSI officer will be without a finger after ‘rioters’ bit it off

The alleged amputation came after 37‑year‑old Pretti, a University of Minnesota graduate and registered nurse, was shot to death during what appeared to be a struggle with federal agents on Saturday.

The deadly incident now marks the third shooting in recent weeks involving federal agents in Minneapolis, following the January 7 killing of a woman by an ICE officer and another shooting about a week later that left a man wounded.

Circulating video showed agents wrestling Pretti to the ground before one federal agent fired multiple shots into his chest, after which the agents scattered. 

He was pronounced dead the scene, officials said at a press briefing. 

Pretti worked as a registered nurse for the Veterans Health Administration at the Minneapolis VA hospital and earned a reported $90,783 in 2023, according to public records. 

‘I worked with him daily for years at the VA hospital,’ Ruth Anway, a Minneapolis‑based nurse, told the Daily Mail. ‘He was an ICU nurse. He worked with veterans. He was a really good guy. He definitely did not deserve to get killed.’ 

Anway said she worked with Pretti for about six years and also collaborated with him earlier in his career while he was in nursing school, including on a research study at the VA. 

‘As a friend who just saw my friend get killed, I just want to say he was a good guy,’ the nurse said, adding that she last saw Pretti a few months ago. 

Circulating video showed agents wrestling Pretti to the ground before one federal agent fired multiple shots into his chest, after which the agents scattered 

Pretti (pictured) was a University of Minnesota graduate and registered nurse for the Veterans Health Administration at the Minneapolis VA hospital

Of the four photos McLaughlin posted, two depicted the alleged unidentified ‘rioters’ she claimed were the culprits

‘He was always keeping up with the news and always just really well informed about what was going on,’ Anway said, describing her coworker as politically engaged and deeply informed.

‘We would always talk about everything going on in the world,’ she added.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino said the officer who shot Pretti had been serving with the Border Patrol for the past eight years. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the Daily Mail that agents were in the area attempting to apprehend ‘an illegal alien wanted for violent assault’ when they were approached by Pretti.

Federal authorities have since identified the man they were initially seeking as Jose Huerta‑Chuma, an Ecuadorian national. 

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said Huerta‑Chuma has a criminal history that includes domestic assault, disorderly conduct and driving without a license, though federal court records did not list any cases under his name. 

DHS has shared its account of the shooting on X, saying ‘an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.’

‘The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,’ the department wrote.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino said the officer who shot Pretti (pictured) had been serving with the Border Patrol for the past eight years

The agency later released a photograph of a nine‑millimeter semi‑automatic handgun it said was recovered from Pretti during the clash

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti (pictured) was a ‘lawful gun owner’ with a permit. Minnesota law allows permit holders to openly carry handguns in public without concealing them

‘Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,’ the statement added.

‘The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID – this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.’

The agency later released a photograph of a nine‑millimeter semi‑automatic handgun it said was recovered during the clash. 

Police Chief Brian O’Hara later confirmed at a news conference that the man shot was a 37-year-old white individual with no serious criminal history, aside from some parking tickets. 

Law enforcement sources also said Saturday that their records show Pretti had no serious criminal history. 

O’Hara said Pretti was a ‘lawful gun owner’ with a permit. Minnesota law allows permit holders to openly carry handguns in public without concealing them. 

President Donald Trump responded to Pretti’s death on Truth Social, writing: ‘LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOBS.’ 

‘This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?’ the president wrote.

Federal authorities have since identified the man they were initially seeking as Jose Huerta‑Chuma, an Ecuadorian national

Law enforcement sources said Saturday that their records show Pretti had no serious criminal history, aside from some parking tickets

President Donald Trump has since responded to Pretti’s death on Truth Social, writing: ‘LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOBS’

‘It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves – Not an easy thing to do!’ he added.

Trump then continued on a tangent about the alleged ’34 million dollars’ in Representative IIhan Omar’s account and the ‘tens of billions of dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota.’ 

‘We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW,’ Trump wrote. ‘Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.’

He added: ‘12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!’

Protests have picked up in Minneapolis in recent weeks as ICE continues to occupy the city following the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an agent on January 7.

The fatal shooting also comes just a week after an ICE agent, who DHS said feared for his life, fired a ‘defensive shot’ at illegal migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis, striking him in the leg.