Minneapolis live updates: DOJ launches investigation into Pretti killing, Deputy AG Blanche says

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made her first public comments since Saturday.

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Last updated: Sunday, February 1, 2026 12:00AM GMT
Trump's border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota, but only after 'cooperation'

MINNEAPOLIS -- A 37-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday morning in Minneapolis -- the second shooting of a U.S. citizen this month by federal agents in the city.

The shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, ratcheted up tensions, as protesters clashed in the streets with law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting.

The incident followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on Jan. 7.

The shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, ratcheted up tensions, as protesters clashed in the streets with law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting.

Jan 30, 2026, 5:26 PM GMT

DOJ launches investigation into Pretti killing: Blanche

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday.

"This is what I would describe as a standard investigation by FBI with our circumstances like what we saw last Saturday, and that that investigation to the extent it needs to involve lawyers of the Civil Rights Division, that will involve those," the Deputy Attorney General said at a press conference, adding there is coordination with the Civil Rights Division saying "they will be part of that effort."

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a press conference at the US Department of justice on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a press conference at the US Department of justice on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The comments come as officials said that the Department of Homeland Security was leading the investigation. Blanche said both investigations are happening.

He said he wasn't committing to releasing body-worn camera from the incident. It would be "completely unfair to the investigation itself," Blanche said.

-ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Jack Date and Luke Barr

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Jan 30, 2026, 2:37 PM GMT

Don Lemon arrested in connection with protest

Former CNN journalist Don Lemon has been arrested in connection with a Jan. 18 incident in which anti-ICE protesters disrupted a service at a Minnesota church, according to his attorney.

Attorney Abbe Lowell said in a Facebook post Friday that his client was taken into custody by federal agents Thursday night while he was covering the Grammy Awards.

"Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done," Lowell said.

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Jan 30, 2026, 11:56 AM GMT

Sen. Lindsey Graham calls treatment of ICE officers 'unconscionable'

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has called the treatment of ICE officers "unconscionable" as he was asked about his objections to proceeding on a government funding deal on Thursday, sending the government ever closer to a partial shutdown with a little more than 24 hours until funding runs out.

"From a Republican point of view, the cops need us right now. They are being demonized. They're being spat upon. They can't sleep at night," Graham said. "Are they right to want to change some ICE procedures? Absolutely. But I'm not going to lead this debate for two weeks before I can explain to the American people what I think the problem is. The problem is, structurally, for four years, the country was ruined."

If Senators can't win over the objectors by Friday, they'll force the government into a partial shutdown. The Senate will reconvene at 11 a.m. Friday to see if they can reach an agreement.

Any agreement they do reach would still need to be approved by the House, so at least a brief partial shutdown is, at this stage, highly likely.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin and Rachel Scott

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Jan 30, 2026, 11:54 AM GMT

'We can always do better,' Noem says, describing 'chaotic' scene in hours after Pretti shooting

Amid calls for her resignation and impeachment, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the scene in the hours after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal officers was "chaotic" and they were getting information from "what we knew to be true on the ground."

"We were using the best information we had at the time," Noem told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday night in her first comments since Saturday.

Noem said that the FBI is now leading the investigation into the shooting. Previously, DHS said the FBI was assisting Homeland Security Investigations.

"We will continue to follow the investigation that the FBI is leading and giving them all the information that they need to bring that to conclusion and make sure the American people know the truth of the situation," she said.

Noem's tone was a shift from her remarks Saturday when she called Pretti's conduct "the definition of domestic terrorism," without evidence, which sparked backlash.

Asked about using the term "domestic terrorism," Noem said authorities are "continuing to gather information" and said an investigation will help provide information about both the shooting involving Pretti and the earlier shooting death of Renee Good.

"We believe we can always do better and we seek to do that every day," Noem said Thursday.

She also said she is "grateful" for President Trump's wisdom in sending Tom Homan, with whom she reportedly has an icy relationship, to Minnesota in the hopes he can talk to leaders there.

When asked about critics on Capitol Hill, she said "radicals" are attacking her for "just doing my job."

"I'm following the law, and enforcing the laws like President Trump promised he would do," she said.

-ABC News' Luke Barr