Was Pretti killing justified? Donalds won’t ‘go that far,’ wants probe results
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Donalds urges DHS probe before judging federal agents’ use of deadly force.
- He warns against forcibly engaging officers and links rhetoric to rising tensions.
- Donalds says his immigration positions would affect Floridians if elected.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the leading Florida Republican candidate for governor, said on Wednesday in the Florida Capitol that he wanted to see the investigation into Alex Pretti’s shooting before saying whether federal agents were justified in killing him last weekend.
Pretti was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. He is the second U.S. citizen shot and killed this month by federal officers dispatched by the president to the city since December.
“You do not have the right to engage law enforcement in a forcible way, period,” Donalds told reporters while visiting former colleagues in the Capitol.
But when asked whether Pretti’s interaction with law enforcement justified his death, Donalds said, “I’m not going to go that far. The investigation will bear that out.”
Donalds added: “Nobody wants to see a loss of life. President Trump doesn’t want to see it. I don’t want to see it. Nobody else does.”
The Department of Homeland Security will be investigating the shooting, Secretary Kristi Noem said during a press conference on Saturday. The department released an initial statement on the fatal shooting that claimed officers fired “defensive shots” at Pretti. Pretti was armed but video footage analyzed by multiple news outlets appears to show that he did not pull his gun on officers. Footage shows an officer removed it while Pretti was on the ground.
Donalds is the leading gubernatorial candidate in Florida as the Republican with President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a large cash advantage over his competitors. Whoever wins the Republican primary will be favored to defeat their Democratic opponent in the general election given Republicans’ significant voter registration advantage in the state.
If he is elected, Donalds’ positions on immigration enforcement will affect Floridians.
“You have the right to protest. We will always protect that right. I will protect that right,” Donalds said. But protests cannot interfere with officers’ ability to do their “duty,” he said.
The first fatal shooting in Minneapolis, of Renee Good, happened when she used her “vehicle to disrupt law enforcement,” Donalds said. Pretti’s fatal shooting, he said, happened when he was “on the sidewalks recording law enforcement” and then decided to “impede law enforcement.”
“The entire dynamics change, and it’s not as cut and dry,” Donalds said. “The investigation will bear all this out.”
While Donalds exhibited more caution than Noem, he did use some similar language.
On Saturday, Noem said Pretti “impeded” officers’ “targeted operation against an individual who was in this country illegally, and had a criminal conviction for domestic assault with an intent to do bodily harm.”
Noem went further than Donalds, though, and claimed Pretti “attacked” the law enforcement officers. Donalds stayed away from verbs like “attack.”
“You do not forcibly engage law enforcement,” Donalds said instead. “Especially when they’re in the middle of trying to do their duty, because at that point, you have now put yourself, quite frankly, in the mercy of law enforcement. I was taught that as a kid.”
Video footage appears to show that while Pretti filmed and yelled at officers, he did not physically approach or attack them. At one point, Pretti appeared to put his hand up while an officer sprayed his face with a chemical, CNN reported.
Like Noem, Donalds also blamed the “rhetoric” of Democratic elected officials in Minnesota such as Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for “tensions” that “have risen out of control in Minnesota” related to the president’s immigration enforcement policy.
“They should be cooperating with federal law enforcement,” Donalds said. “You don’t see these issues in Florida. You don’t see them in Texas. You don’t see them in Tennessee.”
Donalds added: “What’s the difference? Our governors are actually responsible. They’re following the constitution. That’s what Gov. [Ron] DeSantis is doing.”
There is a proposal this legislative session that a lawyers group says would allow officers to use unlawful force without repercussions. It’s ready for a floor vote in both chambers.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 3:04 PM.