The killing of a US citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis sparked fresh protests and political fallout, as it marked the second fatal shooting by federal agents in the city that month.

Federal agents shot dead Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway. The incident occurred less than three weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.

The Trump administration claimed, as it did after Good’s death, that Pretti had intended to harm federal agents, even as video of the incident appeared to contradict that account.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pointed to a pistol and ammunition it said were discovered on Pretti.

“He was there to perpetuate violence,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a briefing, while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller referred to Pretti as an “assassin” in a post amplified on X by Vice President JD Vance.

However, as with Good’s death, cellphone footage of the incident raised serious questions about the federal government’s description of events.

Video aired widely by US media, which AFP had not verified, showed Pretti filming agents in a snow-lined street and directing traffic.

After an agent shoved a woman protester to the ground on the sidewalk, Pretti stepped between them and was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant.

The agent then pulled Pretti to the ground and several officers struggled to detain him on the icy roadway.

Seconds later, as an officer apparently discovered and pulled a gun from Pretti’s pants, agents opened fire, also shooting his motionless body several times from a distance.

Pretti’s parents, in a statement circulated by US media, called him a “kindhearted soul” and accused the Trump administration of telling “sickening lies” about their son.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded that state authorities lead the investigation.

“The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a news conference.

Federal authorities had controversially blocked local investigators from jointly probing Good’s death.

One Senate Republican called for a joint investigation into the shooting.

“The events in Minneapolis were incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS was at stake,” Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, wrote on X.

“There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

President Donald Trump meanwhile escalated his war of words with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democratic leaders of “inciting insurrection” with their rhetoric.

Trump had previously threatened to send troops to Minnesota by invoking the Insurrection Act.

As the president pressed a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants, thousands of ICE agents had been deployed to the Democratic-led city.

Public outrage was also rekindled earlier that week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as federal agents sought to arrest his father.

Frey urged Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which had sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.

“This was a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment — let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation,” Frey said.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” erupted after the shooting as protesters arrived, with local officials unable to secure the scene for investigation.

O’Hara later said Minnesota National Guard troops would help secure a vehicle exclusion zone set up around the site.

A local resident, Maria, 56, said the situation in the city was “escalating.”

“They’re attacking and terrorizing our communities right now,” she said.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in a park in Minneapolis that evening, despite bitterly cold temperatures.

The shooting came a day after tens of thousands of people braved the cold to gather in downtown Minneapolis to oppose the federal operation.

O’Hara said police believed the victim did not have any serious criminal background and was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”

Some gun rights advocates raised concerns after the Trump administration quickly linked Pretti’s legal gun possession to an intent to do mass harm.

Gun Owners of America condemned a statement by Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, who had said on X: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”

“The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” the group said.

The political fallout extended to Washington, where multiple US senators said they would vote against upcoming government spending bills after the second Minneapolis killing, significantly increasing the chances of a government shutdown.

Funding for large parts of the federal government, including DHS and the Pentagon, expired on 31 January.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed funding through September, but it still required approval in the Senate.

Trump’s Republican Party narrowly controlled the 100-member chamber but did not have enough votes to pass spending bills without Democratic support.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said “Senate Democrats would not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill was included.”

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said she would not support the current Homeland Security funding bill.

The Nevada senator said the Trump administration and DHS chief Kristi Noem were “putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability.”

Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said “this brutal crackdown had to end.”

“I cannot and will not vote to fund DHS while this administration continues these violent federal takeovers of our cities,” he said.

Senate rules required 60 votes to pass spending bills, and the growing number of Democratic lawmakers withdrawing support for the measure made another shutdown increasingly possible.