CNN

By Thomas Bordeaux, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Casey Tolan, CNN

(CNN) — A CNN video analysis appears to show a federal immigration officer removing a gun from Alex Pretti just prior to officers fatally shooting him.

Bystander video shows one agent reaching into the scrum of other officers seeking to restrain Pretti and retrieving a weapon that appears to match the firearm the Department of Homeland Security says Pretti possessed.

Officers can be heard shouting “he’s got a gun” when the unidentified agent reaches into Pretti’s waistband as the pile of officers try to subdue him. Just over one second after the officer emerges holding the weapon, a shot rings out, followed by at least 9 more, according to videos.

The videos show that the officer who retrieved the weapon had nothing in his hand prior to approaching Pretti. It is unclear from the videos reviewed by CNN whether the officer who took the weapon from Pretti immediately told the others that he was taking it away.

But about a minute after the shooting, as Pretti’s body laid motionless on the street, another officer can be heard in one video asking, “where’s the gun?” The officer who retrieved the weapon walks over and responds, “I got the gun.”

It is unclear which agent first fired at Pretti.

In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that an officer fired on Pretti while fearing for his life.

“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” McLaughlin said. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.” She added that medics delivered aid to Pretti but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

At no point in any of the videos reviewed by CNN can Pretti be seen wielding a weapon; he is seen carrying a cellphone in one hand earlier in the encounter.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a press conference that Pretti was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.

“From what I see right now, this does not look like a justified shooting,” said Charles Ramsey, the former Philadelphia and Washington, DC, police commissioner, who reviewed the videos as a CNN law enforcement analyst. “The guy is prone on the sidewalk… and they’re still firing rounds into him.”

Prior to the shooting, videos reviewed by CNN show that tensions escalated quickly in a south Minneapolis neighborhood where a group of federal agents were conducting an operation. About two minutes before shots were fired, several agents are seen detaining a person on a street as bystanders blow whistles, honk car horns and record video, according to one video filmed from a nearby car.

Pretti – a 37-year-old who worked as an ICU nurse at a Minneapolis VA hospital, according to his family – is first seen standing in the street, holding his cell phone in one hand and recording officers while directing traffic with his other hand. As a federal agent interacts with other bystanders, Pretti yells at the officer, “do not push them into the traffic!”

The officer then walks toward Pretti and several other bystanders, and pushes a woman to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and the woman. The agent sprays Pretti with a chemical irritant and drags him to his knees as Pretti pulls at the backpack of the other bystander, potentially reaching for a water bottle.

At least six other agents quickly gather, with officers standing over Pretti and pushing him to the ground as he appears to resist them, leading to a scrum on the street.

One agent appears t

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN

(CNN) — Democrats will block a government spending bill following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent, the Senate minority leader said Saturday – dramatically increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown next week.

“Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no,” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York posted on X.

“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” he added.

The Senate faces a Friday midnight deadline to pass the spending measure, which includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security and avoids a partial government shutdown. The funding package will need 60 votes to advance.

With a 53 seat-majority, Senate Republicans will need at least eight Democrats to vote to advance the measure as GOP Sen. Rand Paul is likely to vote against the bill.

Senate Democrats plan to hold a caucus call Sunday night, according to a Senate Democratic source.

The odds of a partial government shutdown were already rising before Schumer’s post as several Democrats came out against funding for DHS in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The shooting by a Border Patrol officer was the third carried out by federal agents in Minnesota this month amid anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests. (Border Patrol and ICE are agencies with the Department of Homeland Security.)

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who opposed the government shutdown last year, said on X that she would not support the current DHS funding bill. “The Trump administration and Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability,” she said, also proposing that lawmakers debate DHS funding separately from the larger spending bill.

Sen. Jacky Rosen – Nevada’s junior Democratic senator who also voted to reopen the government last year – said she would vote against the funding bill “until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency.”

Earlier this week, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, another Democrat who voted to end the longest government shutdown, had indicated his opposition to the bill. He argued the spending measure shouldn’t pass “without significant amendment” and called for “effective safeguards against ICE operations.”

Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, widely expected to become the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia also said Saturday they would not vote to fund DHS.

The House passed DHS funding separately on Thursday but combined it with the larger funding bill for other agencies.

Should the spending bill fail to advance, other agencies that would shut down include the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.

House funding measure allocates $20 million for body cameras

The House measure passed this week allocates $20 million for the “procurement, deployment, and operations” of body cameras for federal agents enforcing immigration

Por Jeff Winter y Rob Kuznia, CNN

Alex Pretti, el hombre de 37 años que murió baleado por agentes federales de inmigración este sábado, trabajaba como enfermero atendiendo a veteranos enfermos, de acuerdo con familiares, amigos y colegas, quienes dijeron que esto reflejaba su profundo deseo de ayudar a los demás.

Pretti trabajó como enfermero en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) en el Centro Médico de Veteranos (VA) de Minneapolis durante unos cinco años, según un compañero de trabajo que pidió permanecer en el anonimato.

“Alex era un alma bondadosa que se preocupaba profundamente por su familia y amigos y también por los veteranos estadounidenses a quienes atendía como enfermero de UCI en el hospital de veteranos de Minneapolis. Alex quería marcar la diferencia en este mundo”, dijeron sus padres, Michael y Susan Pretti, en un comunicado. “Lamentablemente, no estará con nosotros para ver el impacto que tuvo”.

El Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, jefe de la Sección de Enfermedades Infecciosas en el VA de Minneapolis, escribió en Bluesky que era “una buena persona, amable, que vivía para ayudar”. Drekonja dijo que Pretti apoyaba a los veteranos gravemente enfermos en el hospital. Su compañero de trabajo dijo que Pretti investigaba cómo evitar que los veteranos murieran de cáncer de colon.

Pretti recibió un disparo mortal mientras agentes de inmigración lo sujetaban en el suelo en Minneapolis; el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) dijo que los funcionarios le quitaron una pistola a Pretti en la escena y dispararon en defensa propia. Un análisis de CNN de un video muestra que un agente federal retiró el arma justo antes del disparo. “Los funcionarios intentaron desarmar al sospechoso, pero el sospechoso armado resistió violentamente”, dijo la agencia en un comunicado.

La policía de Minneapolis ha dicho que Pretti era un propietario legal de armas con permiso, y los registros judiciales muestran que no tenía cargos en el estado, solo infracciones de tránsito y estacionamiento.

Sus padres, en su declaración, refutaron las afirmaciones del DHS de que representaba una amenaza para los agentes cuando fue baleado. Dijeron que buscaba proteger a una mujer que estaba cerca de los agentes en ese momento.

“Las mentiras enfermizas que el Gobierno ha dicho sobre nuestro hijo son reprobables y asquerosas”, dijeron los padres, agregando que “era un buen hombre”.

Pretti comenzó a participar en protestas contra la aplicación de leyes migratorias en Minneapolis después de que un agente de ICE matara a tiros a Renee Good a principios de este mes, dijeron familiares a Associated Press.

“Se preocupaba profundamente por la gente y estaba muy molesto por lo que estaba sucediendo en Minneapolis y en todo Estados Unidos con ICE, al igual que millones de personas”, dijo Michael Pretti, padre de Alex.

Pretti se graduó del bachillerato en Green Bay, Wisconsin, en 2006, según Spectrum News, afiliada de CNN. Pretti se costeó sus estudios de enfermería trabajando en el hospital de veteranos y se unió a su personal después de graduarse, de acuerdo con un compañero de trabajo.

Su vecina, Jeannie Wiener, dijo que se sorprendió al enterarse de que Pretti murió baleado este sábado. Comentó que a m

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (KEYT) - A launch is scheduled this weekend from Vandenberg Space Force Base for another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to carry 25 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.

The launch will take place Sunday, January 25th between 7:17 - 11:17 a.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 4 East.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Folks can watch the mission launch starting five minutes before the launch on a live stream here, or on X @SpaceX.

The base says residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

The post Falcon 9 Rocket Launch Scheduled Sunday from Vandenberg appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Jeff Winter, Rob Kuznia, CNN

(CNN) — Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old man killed by federal immigration agents Saturday, worked as a nurse treating sick veterans, according to family, friends and colleagues – a reflection of his deep desire to help others, they said.

Pretti worked as an Intensive Care Unit nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center for around five years, according to a co-worker who asked to speak anonymously.

“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world,” his parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said in a statement. “Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.”

Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, Chief of Infectious Diseases Section at the Minneapolis VA, wrote on Bluesky that he was “a good, kind person who lived to help.” Drekonja said Pretti supported critically ill veterans at the hospital. The co-worker said Pretti researched how to prevent veterans from dying from colon cancer.

Pretti was fatally shot while immigration agents wrestled him on the ground in Minneapolis; the Department of Homeland Security said officers took a handgun from Pretti at the scene and fired in self-defense. CNN analysis of video shows a federal agent removed the gun just before the shooting. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” the agency said in a statement.

Minneapolis police have said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit, and court records show he had no charges in the state, only traffic and parking infractions.

His parents, in their statement, disputed DHS claims that he was a threat to agents when he was killed. They said he was seeking to protect a woman near the agents at the time.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the parents said, adding that “he was a good man.”

Pretti began participating in protests against immigration enforcement in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good earlier this month, family members told the Associated Press.

“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father.

Pretti graduated from high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2006, according to CNN affiliate Spectrum News. Pretti put himself through nursing school by working at the VA hospital and joined its staff after graduating, Pretti’s co-worker said.

Pretti’s neighbor Jeannie Wiener said she was shocked to hear Pretti had been killed Saturday. She said she often engaged in small talk with Pretti when he was out walking his dog, and estimated that he’d lived in the neighborhood for five years.

Wiener, who serves on the crime and safety committee of the Lyndale Neighborhood Association, said she did not think Pretti was a threat to anybody, describing him as “very pleasant, very cordial.”

Pretti’s father told the AP that they had discussed how he should be careful while protesting against ICE.

“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti told the AP. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”

CNN’s Curt Devine contributed to this report.

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