Crowd at Colorado Capitol Protests Killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

A crowd of over a thousand demonstrators gathered at the Colorado Capitol and marched through downtown Denver on Sunday, January 25, to protest the Trump administration after another fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minnesota.

“Again we gather to express our outrage over a lawless regime terrorizing communities,” activist Darlene Rivera told protesters from the Capitol steps. “It is clear that this regime is waging war against the people that do not agree with their racist policies and actions.”

The demonstration came one day after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, just two weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. The two killings have sparked nationwide outrage, even as President Donald Trump’s top advisers have rushed to spread false information about Pretti and Good, both of whom were smeared as “domestic terrorists” by the administration within hours of being killed.

Multiple videos that surfaced Saturday showed federal agents opening fire on Pretti while he was restrained and on the ground. Pretti was lawfully carrying a handgun, which had already been secured by agents before the shots were fired. While Trump officials baselessly called him a “would-be assassin” who intended to harm immigration agents, videos show the encounter began with Pretti filming the agents with his cell phone.

“Renee Good and Alex Pretti were murdered in broad daylight while being filmed by numerous people,” Rivera told the crowd. “The videos we have all seen make it clear that Renee and Alex were murdered.”

Joining protesters on the Capitol grounds were a handful of Colorado Democratic elected officials, including state Sen. Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge and Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is a 2026 candidate for governor.

Carol Wiemann, a demonstrator from Boulder, stood on a street corner west of the Capitol and waved an American flag at passing cars, many of which offered supportive honks throughout the protest.

“Tears. Tears,” she said of her reaction to hearing of Pretti’s death. “I’ve had enough. This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve been down here. Trump is evil — he’s evil, and we’ve lost our democracy.”

Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, are Colorado residents. They released a statement Saturday calling him “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends.”

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” their statement said. “Alex (was) clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs.”

“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world,” they said. “Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.

The federal presence in Minneapolis is part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Colorado Reaction

Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, called the shooting “tragic and unacceptable” in a statement Saturday afternoon. He called for an impartial investigation into the incident and affirmed people’s right to protest.

“To anyone peacefully exercising your First Amendment rights, Colorado stands with you. Americans are experiencing violence and intimidation by our own government. It is unacceptable and must end. Americans are not blind and can see the dangers of the current approach and tactics from ICE,” he said.

The six Democrats in Colorado’s congressional delegation condemned the shooting online. As of Sunday afternoon, the four Republicans who represent Colorado in Congress had not spoken or issued statements about the shooting.

In a social media post, Representative Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, called ICE a “rogue agency” out of control, and said ICE needs to be “dismantled” and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should be impeached.

Representative Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, said in a statement that she grieves the “senseless loss of life and the terrifying leadership that has created this reality.”

“Our country is at a breaking point because of the illegal and fascist actions of this administration. The American people have had enough. Some Republicans have started to call for ICE oversight, but we need more,” she said.

Senator John Hickenlooper wrote in a post that he will vote against an upcoming bill in the Senate to fund Homeland Security. The bill which includes $10 billion for ICE. It is expected that Senate Democrats will not provide the votes necessary to advance the bill, which passed the House last week.

“ICE is out of control,” Hickenlooper wrote. “Killing people, separating families and terrorizing communities.”

This story was originally published by Colorado Newsline. Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.