California Gov. Gavin Newsom has escalated the political fallout from the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, branding Vice President JD Vance a “true psychopath” for blaming local officials after the killing.
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. It was the second fatal shooting by federal agents in the city in January, according to reporting by the Irish Star.
The killing sparked protests across Minneapolis, with crowds confronting federal immigration officers and clashes breaking out as agents used batons and flash-bang devices. Pretti had been protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and was legally licensed to carry a firearm, per early accounts. Vance weighed in publicly, arguing that state and local officials were responsible for what he described as “engineered chaos.”
This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 25, 2026
In a later post on X, he claimed off-duty ICE and CBP officers had been doxed while dining at a Minneapolis restaurant, leaving them trapped inside while local police allegedly refused to respond.
“This is just a taste of what’s happening in Minneapolis because state and local officials refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement,” Vance wrote, according to his Jan. 26 post. He argued that the same refusal created conditions where “someone tragically dies and politicians get to grandstand.”
Newsom fired back directly.
“Only a true psychopath could genuinely believe this story justifies the shooting of an innocent VA nurse,” Newsom wrote on X, responding to Vance’s claims.
When I was in Minneapolis, I heard a number of crazy stories. But near the top of the list:
A couple of off duty ICE and CBP officers were going to dinner in Minneapolis. They were doxed and their location revealed, and the restaurant was then mobbed. The officers were locked in…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 25, 2026
The exchange sharpened an already volatile national debate over immigration enforcement tactics following Pretti’s death. Video recorded by bystanders appears to contradict the federal government’s early account of the shooting. In several clips circulating online, Pretti is seen holding a phone, not a visible weapon, according to footage reviewed by multiple outlets.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the officer’s actions. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said agents fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached officers and “violently resisted” attempts to disarm him, per a department statement cited by the Irish Star.
That explanation has been challenged by protesters and civil rights advocates, who say the videos raise serious questions about whether Pretti posed an immediate threat.
Vance doubled down in follow-up posts, accusing Minneapolis officials of enabling “far-left agitators” and claiming the city’s unrest was uniquely severe because of local resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
Only a true psychopath could genuinely believe this story justifies the shooting of an innocent VA nurse. https://t.co/ey3s1z5DWL
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 26, 2026
“This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis,” he wrote in a separate X post. “It is the direct consequence of far-left agitators, working with local authorities.”
The Trump administration has continued to defend the broader immigration crackdown in Minnesota, even as pressure mounts from Democrats and some local leaders to pause or scale back federal operations.
For Newsom, the clash was less about rhetoric than responsibility. His response sets up the debate not as a policy disagreement, but as a moral line — one drawn at the killing of a healthcare worker during a protest that was already spiraling out of control.
And as new footage, investigations, and political reactions continue to surface, neither side appears ready to back down.
