Several sports stars have voiced their anger at the ongoing chaos in Minneapolis, where an intensive care nurse was shot as tensions between protesters and federal agents turned deadly Saturday.
Alex Pretti, 37, was killed after a struggle with Border Patrol, just two weeks after Renee Good was fatally shot in her car by an ICE officer.
Anger has been building in Minnesota after agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved in on the orders of the Trump administration.
Protests have only intensified in recent days and, on Friday, Pro Football Hall of Famer Alan Page was reportedly among those who braved the freezing temperatures to oppose the immigration crackdown.
Over the last 24 hours, a photo has been shared widely on social media – including by the Wall Street Journal – purporting to show Page at the demonstrations. In the image, a man’s face is largely shielded from the cold, with his eyelids and beanie covered in ice.
Page spent more than a decade in the NFL with the Vikings the Bears. He was crowned MVP in 1971 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump in 2018. After retiring from football, Page was elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton posted on social media: ‘Alex Pretti was murdered’
NBA icon Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, condemned the death of Pretti.
‘Alex Pretti was murdered,’ the Indiana Pacers star wrote on social media. At the time of writing, his post had been viewed more than 6.4million times, amassing nearly 200,000 likes.
Another athlete to express their opposition to unfolding chaos was Vikings cornerback Dwight McGlothern Jr. ‘It’s not right what’s happening in Minnesota,’ he wrote on X.
Former NFL star Ryan Clark paid tribute to Pretti, branding him a ‘hero’ and writing: ‘Prayers to his family & loved ones. Senseless death… AGAIN!!’ Clark
WNBA star Angel Reese star, meanwhile, also took to social media in the wake of the events in Minnesota. ‘Praying for our country,’ she wrote alongside a prayer emoji.
Video from the scene shows agents wrestling with Pretti and taking him to the ground moments before he was shot dead.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the Daily Mail that agents were in the area attempting to apprehend ‘an illegal alien wanted for violent assault’ when they were approached by Pretti.
According to the DHS, Pretti was armed and carrying two magazines at the time he was detained. The agency later released a photograph of a nine‑millimeter semi‑automatic handgun it said was recovered during the clash.
Officials claimed officers attempted to disarm Pretti but that he ‘violently resisted’ before a Border Patrol agent fired the fatal shot.
‘Praying for our country,’ WNBA star Angel Reese wrote on social media on Saturday
But his family eviscerated the Trump administration and branded his killers ‘murdering and cowardly thugs’ in a blistering statement.
‘The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,’ they said.
‘Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed.
‘Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.’
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti had no serious criminal history, with records showing only minor parking violations. O’Hara added that he was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.
