Political commentator Megyn Kelly expressed no sympathy for Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old U.S. citizen fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026. During the January 26 edition of her SiriusXM show, The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly stated, “I know I’m supposed to feel sorry for Alex Pretti, but I don’t. You know why I wasn’t shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations.”
"I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for Alex Pretti but I don't. You know why I wasn't shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations."
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) January 27, 2026
– @megynkelly pic.twitter.com/7GdnHRYvZf
Kelly, a journalist and former Fox News anchor known for her high-profile interviews and conservative-leaning commentary, went on to describe Pretti as having acted subversively by interfering with traffic during an immigration enforcement operation. She asserted that he was armed with a loaded gun and seeking to cause trouble for agents, adding that the consequences of his actions “came back on him.” She labeled the protesters involved as “organized agitators” and “terrorists” who train to disrupt law enforcement, provoke confrontations for social media or propaganda purposes, and aim to portray agents negatively.
Kelly stressed that resisting arrest carries significant risks, even without a firearm, citing the need to submit immediately during physical confrontations with police. She argued that protesters bear a greater responsibility to “behave well and submit” due to the heightened tensions surrounding immigration operations in Minnesota. She referenced a separate incident in which she said an ICE officer had his finger bitten off by one of the protesters.
He literally bit part of an ice officers finger off. pic.twitter.com/vPA4azx6PS
— In The Political Divide (@InPoliticalDivd) January 25, 2026
The shooting occurred amid a federal immigration raid, where the Department of Homeland Security characterized it as self-defense after Pretti allegedly approached an agent with a handgun and violently resisted disarmament efforts. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Pretti had attacked agents and was not there to protest peacefully but to perpetuate violence. Federal officials released an image of a gun they said he was carrying.
Bystander videos however, showed Pretti holding a phone—not a gun—while attempting to assist protesters who had been shoved to the ground. The footage depicted him moving between an agent and two women, raising his arm to shield himself from pepper spray, struggling as agents pinned him to the ground, and an agent removing a gun from him before another fired multiple shots into his back. Agents initially backed away from his body before some appeared to provide medical aid.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse, had no criminal record beyond traffic violations and was a lawful gun owner, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The incident prompted hundreds of protesters to confront agents in Minneapolis, with tear gas and flashbang grenades deployed. Demonstrations spread to other cities including New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. It also intensified tensions between state and federal officials, already strained after the January 7 shooting of another U.S. citizen, Renee Good.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the video “sickening” and declared the state would lead its own investigation, citing distrust in federal handling. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that federal agents blocked its team from starting work on the scene.
Kelly’s remarks, which included defending the agents’ actions and criticizing protesters, drew backlash amid the conflicting accounts of the shooting and broader debates over immigration enforcement tactics.
