Donald Trump says his administration is reviewing Alex Pretti shooting

Donald Trump has declined to say whether the federal officer who fatally shot Alex Pretti acted appropriately, as he said his administration was reviewing the incident.

The US president told the Wall Street Journal in a short interview that immigration enforcement officers would leave the Minneapolis area “at some point”.

The publication said Trump did not directly answer when asked twice whether the officer who shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, had done the right thing. Pressed further, he said: “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”

It said Trump criticised Pretti for carrying a gun during protest activity, quoting the president as saying: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”

Trump signalled a willingness to eventually withdraw immigration enforcement officials from the Minneapolis area, saying: “At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job.”

A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after Pretti’s fatal shooting – a sign that the Trump administration’s accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.

The Republican chair of the House homeland security committee, Andrew Garbarino, has sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe”, according to the Associated Press.

Other congressional Republicans have pressed for more information, including the Texas representative Michael McCaul and the senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed from several Republican governors, reflects a party struggling with how to respond to federal agents’ killing of Pretti.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) almost immediately alleged Pretti had “violently resisted” officers, saying they fired “defensive shots”. Video evidence contradicts that account. Trump also shared an image of the pistol allegedly found on Pretti in a Truth Social post, writing: “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!) and ready to go.”

Pretti was reportedly legally permitted to carry a gun. Widely circulated video of his shooting death does not appear to depict him holding a gun; it does show an officer reaching to Pretti’s lower back and stepping away with what appeared to be a pistol – and Pretti being subsequently shot to death.

The National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest pro-gun group, also responded after Bill Essayli – who was appointed by Trump to temporarily serve as a US attorney in California in 2025 – posted on social media: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”

The NRA posted: “This sentiment … is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former House Republican from Georgia, posted in support of law enforcement, but defended the right to legally carry firearms. “I unapologetically believe in border security and deporting criminal illegal aliens and I support law enforcement. However, I also unapologetically support the 2nd amendment,” Greene wrote. “Legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm.

She added: “I support American’s 1st and 4th amendment rights. There is nothing wrong with legally peacefully protesting and videoing.”

Democrats have vowed to withhold further funding from DHS unless a bill soon to come before the Senate is amended to include reforms that would restrict federal agents’ actions in their deportation surge.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said Democrats would not provide the necessary votes if DHS funding remained in the measure. A spokesperson for the Senate majority leader, John Thune, said DHS and other government funds would be voted on as a single package. Without a compromise, the government faces a partial shutdown at the end of January.

The Connecticut Democratic senator Chris Murphy told CNN’s State of the Union that Democrats “can’t vote to fund this lawless Department of Homeland Security … that is murdering American citizens, that is traumatizing little boys and girls all across the country, in violation of the law.”