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Man Shot & Killed By Fed Agents In Minneapolis; DHS Says Man Was Armed; Massive Storm Brings Snow, Ice Now Stretching 1,300 Miles; Power Outages Mount, Roads Close As Winter Storm Slams U.S. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 25, 2026 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:32]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News and we.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: And we want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. We are closely following two major breaking news stories. The first, a sprawling winter storm unleashing heavy snow and ice from the southern U.S. up through the Mid-Atlantic states. Right now there are tens of thousands of Americans already without power.

We get much, much more on this wicked winter weather in just a few moments. But first we begin in Minneapolis, Minnesota where there is outrage after federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old man during a protest on Saturday. Alex Pretti, he was an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital. His family says that in the moments before he was killed that their son was trying to protect a woman that ICE agents had pushed down to the ground, all while being pepper sprayed by authorities. CNN has examined video of the deadly encounter, warning that it is graphic. It is disturbing but also necessary to give you an idea of what may have taken place on Saturday.

The video showing several federal agents wrestling Pretti to the ground. At least one agent appears to be kicking him. While later in the video, federal agents fired at least 10 gunshots. The Department of Homeland Security insisting that officers took and this handgun from Pretti and that they fire -- that the authorities fired in self- defense. However, at no point in any of the videos reviewed by CNN can he be seen wielding this pistol.

The Minneapolis police are saying that he was a lawful gun owner with a permit. Still, though, Trump administration officials, they are calling Pretti a domestic terrorist without providing much evidence. In fact, here's what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KRISTI NOEM, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism. This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. That's the facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Minnesota officials, they are suing the Trump administration to prevent alleged tampering and destruction of evidence related to the shooting. The suit also says that federal defendants have already removed evidence from the scene and that according to the lawsuit prevents state authorities from inspecting it. Governor Tim Walz says that the video disproves the Trump administration's, quote, "nonsense and also the lies about how the shooting unfolded," according to the governor. And Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sends this message straight to the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA MAYOR: To President Trump, this is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment. Let's achieve peace. Let's end this operation. And I'm telling you, our city will come back.

Safety will be restored. We're asking for you to take action now to remove these federal agents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Let's go live to Los Angeles now and my colleague Julia Vargas Jones, who's been keeping a very close eye on the -- on the situation there.

Julia, we immediately heard from DHS authorities, really quite a bit of speculation on their part when were just beginning to see firsthand because of this video, exactly what may have taken place.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did. That initial statement from DHS was that the individual there, who we now know as Alex Pretti, was there to massacre the agents. There was also a picture of the gun that he was holding. Later we learned from the police chief, Polo, that he was -- that he had was well within his rights to use -- to have that gun on him, that he was a registered gun owner as some other protesters that we encountered in Minnesota.

Whereas I do want to go back to the lawsuit you just mentioned, we are just getting word now that a federal judge in Minnesota granted that temporary restraining order that now will block federal agencies from destroying or alter any evidence related to the shooting of Alex Pretti earlier this morning. This is from U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud issued an order just a few hours ago that will bar those federal defendants from destroying or altering any evidence related to that shooting, Polo. That goes to show how that battle between those local and federal officials now moving through the courts after this lawsuit that was filed earlier today where those local authorities alleged that evidence taken from the scene of the shooting that prevented those local authorities from inspecting it. There will be a court hearing now scheduled for Monday at 2:00 p.m. local time in St. Paul.

[02:05:21]

Now back to that response to DHS, yes, we did hear from Kristi Noem earlier that this was a violent riot, that Pretti was there to massacre law enforcement, and then firing back Governor Tim Walz saying, well, we have the video and thank God we have this video. Jacob Frey also with very strong words for the Trump administration there. But he called those images, the video that you showed not long ago, Polo, of those officers on top of Alex Pretti, he called deeply troubling images of federal agents using force against a city resident during a protest.

Unclear if that actually was a protest of what exactly Pretti was doing there. We had observed a lot of legal observers, volunteers who had been following ICE agents around Minneapolis in order to try and have some accountability to do what Governor Walz had asked them to do just less than two weeks ago, which was to take out their phones and press record.

Now we are learning more about Pretti, who he was aside from working as a ICU nurse treating sick veterans. We heard from his parents there who said that he was a kind hearted soul who cared deeply for his family and his friends. And our colleague Sara Sidner spoke to one of his neighbors who had a message for how he wanted Pretti to be remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS GRAY, VICTIM'S NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR: I remember Alex walking his dog by my house. But the Alex that I want the world to remember was out on the streets yesterday with 50,000 people on general strike and a mass nonviolent protest. He was an ICU nurse. He was a worker like myself. He was part of the fabric of my community along with immigrants and many other people who represent our neighborhood.

And the people destroying our neighborhood are these ICE agents who are running around out of control, who have done nothing to make my life safer, done nothing to make my life better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: And his parents also told CNN, Polo, that he wanted to make a difference in this world. And this is so heartbreaking that unfortunately he won't be here to see that difference. They also mentioned that they had talked to him about taking measures to stay safe during this time in Minneapolis, that they had urged him to be careful when he was out there.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it's also absolutely remarkable with that reporting that you have, that the locals have to go their way to really petition a court to ensure that the federal government does not alter any evidence in this case. I think that just speaks volumes when it comes to the distrust between all of these entities.

Finally, Julia, you know Minneapolis very well. You were reporting extensively there after some of those protests that happened after the previous shooting. I'm curious, in some of the conversations you've had, I mean, what are people telling you today after yet another tragedy strikes their community?

VARGAS JONES: Well, we spoke to a number of people today, Polo, both who were out in the streets voicing their discontent and people who were too scared to leave or who said, you know, I'm not taking my family out in the streets. One mother of three who had kids in high school just said, look, what I'm doing my part to do is to have now a carpool instituted for all of the kids whose parents are either immigrants who are here in this country legally, but who are too scared because they are brown. Maybe they're Somali, maybe they're Latino. They don't want to risk taking their kids to school. She told me that these were kids who were not going to high school.

They weren't going to class because they didn't have a way to get to school. So that is part of the mobilization of this community. We're seeing people bringing groceries to neighbors who are too scared to leave their house. We're seeing people helping out in any way they can. We're seeing the solidarity from a lot of businesses closing on Friday to basically not put their workers at risk, especially in places like the restaurant industry.

I had someone tell me that, you know, the restaurant really didn't have a choice but to close because so many of their workers were just too scared. They didn't want to have that kind of responsibility. Now what we're seeing is really a mobilization of this community. People trying to help their neighbors, and they're sending a very clear message about what they want for their city. You know, we hear those chants of ICE out.

A lot of these protesters, they really do believe that the federal agents are the cause, the root cause of the violence in the city. That is very different from what the administration is saying, Polo, blaming Minneapolis, are saying that this is a particular brand of chaos that happens in Minneapolis. The mayor has echoed that as well, that all they want is for those federal agents to leave their city.

SANDOVAL: Yes, those protesters so determined, they were out there enduring those subzero temperatures, you know that well.

[02:10:09]

Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much for your reporting last week and tonight.

The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, she gave the Trump administration's account of the shooting, which has since been contradicted by videos reviewed by CNN. Secretary Kristi Noem also went on to blame the shooting on the Democratic governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOEM: An individual approached U.S. border patrol officers with a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently. Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics were on the scene immediately and attempted to deliver medical aid to the subject, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect also had two magazines with ammunition in them that held dozens of rounds.

He also had no id. This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at this scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.

Our law enforcement are doing everything that they can to protect the public. We're praying for this deceased loved one's family and friends. But we also recognize that the Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.

We don't have this problem in Texas or in Florida because those individuals in those states work with us and they make sure that they keep peace and calm while they bring criminals to justice. In Minneapolis, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, they instead choose violence. They instead choose to encourage the destruction of their city and the crime against their people. I don't know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign. This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons and are using them to assault law enforcement officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And the U.S. Defense Secretary is voicing his support for ICE agents even as this investigation just gets started. Pete Hegseth taken to X on Saturday, writing, quote, "We have your back 100 percent." Hegseth also condemned Minnesota officials and called protesters, quote, "lunatics in the street." The governor of Minnesota firing back at Homeland Security's account of the events leading up to the fatal shooting, calling it nonsense and lies. The governor also demanded President Trump withdraw ICE troops from Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: Donald Trump, I call on you once again, remove this force from Minnesota. They are sowing chaos and violence. We've seen deadly violence from federal agents again and again and again. But in contrast to that, on these frozen streets, what you witnessed yesterday was the best of Minnesotans peacefully exercising their First Amendment Rights. And I attended in the church basement hundreds of Minnesotans from all faith packing care packages for families that have been ripped apart.

Despite the horrific acts by this federal government, Minnesotans are standing up for the rule of law. They're protesting loudly and urgently, but peacefully. It must stay that way Minnesota. Minnesotans are witnessing and we're creating a log of evidence for the future prosecution of ICE agents and officials responsible for this. They're helping their neighbors.

They're walking their kids to school. They're feeding families. I salute their courage and their restraint. And I call on all Americans to see the decency that this state is exhibiting and the horrific cruelty, unprofessional, absolute abomination that is passing for what these ICE agents are doing on our streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: I'm joined again by CNN law enforcement contributor, Steve Moore, joining me from Los Angeles.

Steve, it's great to see you again.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.

SANDOVAL: So I'm curious if I can get your reaction on some of that fresh reporting that we brought, viewers at the top about this court decision. Do you think this restraining order preventing the federal government from altering any evidence is necessary in order to protect the integrity of the case?

MOORE: I think a lawyer would tell you that this is common in any -- in any lawsuit, in any civil lawsuit, you are told to preserve all records. It was -- it was not uncommon in the FBI for -- happened several times a year where cases where we had taken somebody to court and they were defending we would get, do not destroy notices, things like that. We just -- we just never, as a policy, destroyed evidence to begin with unless, you know, we were years past a conviction.

[02:15:06]

SANDOVAL: Sure. In this case, however, there certainly is a lot of speculative -- I should say a lot of concerns and skepticism among people there. Do you think that this will perhaps go at least some way in terms of reassuring the public that there is an actual objective investigation that's going to take place?

MOORE: Well, I hope -- I hope that there is some confidence growing in government. I mean, the statements from the federal government and the statements from the state and city government have been, in my opinion, irresponsible. So the problem is the average citizen on the ground is left with nobody that they can completely trust. I mean, before the smoke -- the gun smoke is out of the air here, you've seen both the federal and the state people come out with conflicting conclusive statements, and this is not helpful at all.

SANDOVAL: Right. We saw that early on, just mere hours after the shooting. Let's talk a little bit about the training component here. Based on what you've seen, not just on Saturday, but the previous shooting of Renee Good just a few weeks ago, do you think that ICE, border patrol, FBI agents, basically all these federal agencies that have been deployed to Minneapolis, do you think that their agents are equipped with the training to deal with protesters in urban situations? It's different very different from border patrol encountering groups of undocumented people in the brush on the border.

MOORE: Right. Well, or whatever city that they're assigned to. You know, law enforcement are trained for their core responsibilities. FBI agents are trained to investigate and to defend themselves, basically oversimplifying. Same with ICE, investigate, arrest, and protect yourself, defend yourself.

When you get into things like crowd control most federal investigative agencies are not routinely trained in that. When I was on SWAT, we had some training for that, but it's not a usual thing. So I don't know how much additional training ICE has gotten on crowd control, you know, as they go forward here. You know, it's obvious from some of their techniques that they've gotten some, but have they gotten training on de-escalation? Are they interested in de-escalation?

I can't tell you from anything that I've seen that there's any strong indication of de-escalation.

SANDOVAL: Yes, I mean, when you look at the videos that we've seen already from this shooting, when you see some of the angles also of the Renee Good shooting, I mean, there's such a chaotic element at play here. And, you know, you and I spoke in the last hour, it doesn't seem that these federal agents had control of the situation at any point from beginning to end of the altercation.

MOORE: Well, if you are physically fighting for control of somebody, by definition, you don't have control of the situation. You don't have control until that person is in cuffs and is subdued. So there was no control of the situation from the time they laid hands on the suspect here until the shots were fired. There was -- there was no control. But you don't expect control because what they're doing is fighting for control.

And you know, I would just -- to anybody who's going to these protests, 16 states in the United States prohibit people, even people with legal concealed carry permits. Sixteen states, including California, Oregon, Washington State, Illinois, they prohibit people, even legal possessors of weapons from going to protest or being even in the general vicinity of this. I don't know why many Minnesota doesn't have this law, but please, you just have no idea until now what danger you put yourself in if you bring a firearm to a demonstration.

SANDOVAL: It is an extremely unpredictable situation, especially right now with the presence of law enforcement out there, federal authorities out there and the situation very tense.

Steve Moore, really appreciate you letting us tap into your expertise.

MOORE: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Well, across the U.S. demonstrators, they are protesting immigration crackdowns with the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti giving them now really new momentum. You can see the scenes from Denver to Washington and almost everywhere in between. People holding up some signs calling for ICE to be abolished and crowds gathering in Los Angeles, where a candlelight vigil was held on Saturday.

[02:20:10]

Ahead here on CNN, more on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE officers in Minnesota. We'll hear about the 37-year-old ICU nurse from a neighbor whose impression of the incident doesn't seem to match the picture that's being painted by federal officials. Also on the way, tens of millions of Americans, they are under winter weather alerts as heavy snow and dangerous ice start to paralyze parts of the U.S. into the next day. Stay with CNN.

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SANDOVAL: And welcome back. We do want to get you back to our top story. We are hearing witness accounts of the death of Alex Pretti. The 37-year-old nurse was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. And one witness statement, according to one witness has just been filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit that's being filed against the Trump administration. Pretti's death was captured on video by several witnesses and this is one of those clips, a warning that the footage is graphic and disturbing.

[02:25:03]

Now that unnamed witness says that they saw a man later identified as Alex Pretti being shot by federal agents after trying to help a woman who was being pepper sprayed. The witness described Pretti as an observer saying that he was trying to help direct traffic around federal vehicles and had moved closer to document the immigration activity with the camera on his phone. The witness says that Pretti did not approach agents with a gun, that he, quote, "wasn't even turned toward them" when he, according to the witness, four or five -- when four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him as you hear there. The witness disputes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says that Pretti had violently resisted attempts at being disarmed.

All right, to weather now. A massive winter storm is sweeping through the United States and is bringing some heavy snow and crippling ice that's now stretching 1,300 miles and it's moving east. Thousands of people in the south, they have already lost power as freezing temperatures begin to set in. Video out of Arkansas showing just how intense a storm is getting with cars sliding off the slick roadways there. The state's Department of Transportation says that all roads in Arkansas are showing winter weather impacts.

And by the time Washington, D.C. wakes up in a few hours, the snow is going to be cranking and the first flakes are flying as far north as New York City soon. And we'll have much more from CNN's Dianne Gallagher on how people are preparing for the storm on the East Coast. But first, let's go to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam for the latest forecast. DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm in Louisville, Kentucky, where the snow plows are working overtime to clear the snow that is quickly piling up behind me. You can see the city streets here becoming very, very slick. This is a blockbuster snowstorm that is unfolding before our very eyes. But it's kind of a tale of two different storms. We've got snow on the cold side where I'm located and then the potential for a crippling, if not debilitating ice storm just to our south, that gradient between where the frozen and freezing rain and the light fluffy snow is very, very small.

So this is going to have wide varying impacts on this kind of dynamic storm system that is stretching over two dozen states nearly 2,000 miles. And over half of our population across the U.S. impacted this winter storm as it causes chaos not only on the roads, but also in the skies and the airports as well. So this storm has the potential to drop, get this, over a foot of snow here in Louisville. This will rival some of the biggest snowfall totals that this city has ever experienced. And we're talking about record breaking territory, it's definitely possible.

Other locations across the New England coastline and into the East Coast have the potential to see some of their largest snowfall totals in over a decade. That is really incredible considering the snow potential that happens with nor'easters on the East Coast. But it's really this crippling freezing rain event that we are so concerned with from the southern plains into the Tennessee Valley, into portions of the Appalachians, the southern Piedmont. This area in particular could see a quarter to a half an inch even some models picking up on three quarters to an inch of ice. That will cause infrastructure issues in terms of downed power lines taking down tree limbs, obviously making it nearly impossible to travel on the roadways.

In fact, the National Weather Service using the words catastrophic when they describe the potential of this freezing rain event that will unfold with this long duration winter storm. So everybody is battening down the hatches, preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. We'll only see as we wake up tomorrow morning how these roads have fared among some of the hardest snow, heaviest snow that will fall from the skies as we head into early Sunday morning here across northern Kentucky and throughout the Ohio Valley. The East Coast, though, bracing for impact as we end the weekend and start off the work week.

I'm CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam from Louisville, Kentucky. Back to you.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So it's not exactly the calm before the ice storm, but we are at a theme park right now. Yes, that is a roller coaster right here behind me. We're at Carowinds on the North Carolina, South Carolina state line. And as you can see, their massive parking lot is full of north of 450 service trucks. More than 1,000 workers are staging here right now, vegetation, linemen, storm support, these bucket trucks, you can see.

Duke Energy says they have 18,000 workers across both North and South Carolina staged at 22 camps just like this one. We're talking places like Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord, fairground, sports arenas. Now, Duke Energy says that customers need to be prepared because of the icy conditions that are forecasted and the frigid temperatures going into early next week, they could be without power for several days. The governor is trying to tell people to continue getting their supplies. Make sure you have a plan for these mass power outages because these trucks cannot roll until the icy rain stops.

[02:30:21]

And Duke says they do not anticipate any movement on Sunday or for the power outage situation, getting that fixed until because of the forecast, they think it's going to continue having that icy rain. Now state and transportation crews and contractors, according to Governor Josh Stein in North Carolina, have already treated roads with more than 3.6 million gallons of brine. That's a salty substance that lowers the temperature at which that pavement freezes to only 18 degrees, hoping to buy them some time and temperature during this storm. But again, they're asking, please do not drive your own personal vehicle unless you absolutely have to during or even in the days after the storm and to let these vehicles take the road once it's safe for them so they can try and get the power back on to prevent some of these potentially catastrophic situations of days without power in frigid temperatures.

Diane Gallagher, CNN. Back to you.

SANDOVAL: And we're going to continue our coverage of the deadly shooting in Minneapolis just a moment. Still ahead, the victim's family members are offering their side of the story and they accused federal officials of quote, "sickening lies."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. We do want to get you back to our top story that's coming out of Minneapolis. The family of a man who was shot and killed by U.S. border patrol agents is denying the official account of the incident. They say that their son Alex Pretti, seen in a baseball cap, you see him here with agents, he's not holding a gun before the incident on Saturday morning. And they say that he was trying to protect a woman that was pushed by ICE agents while he was being pepper sprayed.

[02:35:14]

The Homeland Security Agency saying that -- or the Department of Homeland Security, it says that the agent fired defensive shots after the armed man resisted attempts to take his weapon away from him. A top border patrol official later criticized states and city leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGORY BOVINO, BORDER PATROL COMMANDER-AT-LARGE: We will not allow violence against our law enforcement officers. And we need state and local help, state and local law enforcement to help us coordinate to get violent criminals off the street. Mayor Frey and Chief O'Hara just a few minutes ago did the opposite of that by omitting the fact that the suspect had a gun and magazines full of ammunition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Bovino did not say if Pretti pulled the gun before he was shot. Minneapolis police say that he did have a legal gun permit to have that weapon, and they believe that he was a U.S. citizen.

And things have quieted down for now in the neighborhood where Alex Pretti was fatally shot. CNN Law Enforcement Correspondent Whitney Wild has more from the community.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We are a couple of blocks away from where this shooting happened, and the scene here is very calm. We have seen only a handful of people who suggested that they were ready to go and visit a vigil that has formed at where this shooting happened, where we know Alex Pretti spent the last moments of his life. What we are seeing is law enforcement vehicles from surrounding jurisdictions blocking off some of the areas so that vehicles cannot get anywhere near where that shooting happened. And then additionally behind me, what you'll see is what we believe to be a National Guard vehicle. We know Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the National Guard.

This is something that he talked about for several days and saying that he was prepared to deploy them but hadn't yet done it. Now we know after this third shooting in about as many weeks now, Governor Walz feels it is necessary to deploy the National Guard. Further, what we're hearing from local law enforcement here is that, to be frank, the rank and file officers who have been on the ground dealing with these protests for weeks now in Minneapolis are tired, they are run down. They have been doing much of their work in subzero weather over the last couple of days, and they need a breather. And so local law enforcement here, other local officials, really saying how necessary it is for additional resources from surrounding jurisdictions as well as the National Guard to help them out in these very difficult times.

Whitney Wild, CNN Minneapolis.

SANDOVAL: And sources are telling CNN that the secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, she was in constant contact with the White House following the fatal shooting in Minneapolis. And we're learning more about how the Trump administration is responding to the incident. CNN senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes has the latest from the White House.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Now, in the aftermath of this shooting, the Trump administration is doubling down on this effort to put federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota and really across the country. We heard Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who I was told by sources, was in touch with the White House all day. The White House believed that she should be the face of this response since it is technically under her purview. But she had gone through all of her messaging with the White House beforehand. One thing to keep in mind is president -- is Kristi Noem ended up blaming not only the man who was shot, but also the local officials in Minnesota for what happened. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOEM: We don't have this problem in Texas or in Florida because those individuals in those states work with us and they make sure that they keep peace and calm while they bring criminals to justice. In Minneapolis, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, they instead choose violence. They instead choose to encourage the destruction of their city and the crime against their people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, I was told that behind closed doors, President Trump has been defending this agent who actually pulled the trigger. And he has continued to try and sell his image immigration messaging even in the aftermath of this shooting. We saw him posting multiple times on Truth Social, and it seemed as though there was a disconnect in what he was saying to the actual shooting. He started talking a lot about the fraud in Minnesota. But I was told by an official who was familiar with this choice or strategy, if that -- if you want to call it that, of President Trump's was that he was trying to remind Americans why those officials, those federal agents were in Minnesota in the first place.

This, of course, comes as we know he's been increasingly frustrated that his message on immigration is getting lost amid all the chaos we're seeing across the country and particularly in Minneapolis.

[02:40:00]

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

SANDOVAL: And still ahead, we'll get you to our other top story then, the breaking news of this massive and extreme winter storm. The worst that we've seen in years. It has already killed three people and the storm's impact only seems to be intensifying. So the very latest on this and your forecast when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: A crippling winter storm is slowly moving across the U.S. and it could dump more than a foot of snow in some parts of the country. Forecasters are warning that dangerous ice will continue to accumulate, bringing trees and power lines and that means power outages. In fact, it is expected that could leave thousands without power for days.

The snow and ice they are pushing east, stretching about 1,300 miles right now. The weather system is due to bring some record cold, about 12 degrees here in New York. Feels more like the single digits, though. And more than half of all Americans are expected to experience subzero wind chills in the coming days. And it's already created a travel nightmare this weekend.

Get this, some 15,000 flights have already been canceled that were scheduled Saturday through Monday. Expect the number to go up, though. And then there's this live look at a Nashville, Tennessee. Like my team says, it really does just look cold, doesn't it? It's currently under a winter storm warning until the early evening hours. The U.S. National Weather Service warning that the ice could make travel impossible in some parts of the region. Nashville also under a cold weather advisory until Tuesday.

Below freezing wind chills, those are expected and they could cause hypothermia if precautions are not -- are not taken. That's according to officials at the National Weather Service.

So let's get -- let's check in live with Rachel Hester right now. She's the executive director of the organization A Room in the Inn. They provide emergency services as well as shelter to people in need, especially during harsh weather.

Rachel, it's wonderful to see you. Glad to see you staying warm right now. I'm curious how the members of your organization are coming along right now in their mission to shelter the most vulnerable.

[02:45:04]

RACHEL HESTER, EXEC. DIRECTOR, A ROOM IN THE INN: Well, we learned a lot from the pandemic. And the first thing we learned was the name of the game is collaboration. So we are working in tandem with a lot of agencies to deliver services to people that are unhoused.

SANDOVAL: And when it comes to that collaboration, just walk me through some of the steps that you and your colleagues did leading up to this storm to make sure that you were prepared.

HESTER: Well, I think it's really important to understand that the people that we serve don't have access to 24/7 communication the way that we do. They're not going to Sam's, they're not going to Costco. And so the first thing we do with every person, no matter what day of the month they come in, is we help them sign up for an emergency texting system so that they are armed with information regardless of where they are when the city opens up a cold weather shelter or we have weather events. The other thing that we do is we try to give accurate information and equip them with things of long underwear, hats, gloves, scarves, hand warmers. And we do that days before, all the way up to the event.

Waiting for the event is too late.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely. And then there are perhaps some of those that may be reluctant to accept that help. Curious how some of those conversations take place to try to convince. I mean, we had another volunteer on just a short while ago that they literally beg some of the people on the streets to take them up on the opportunity to seek shelter.

HESTER: Absolutely. Well, our shelter is a -- is a unique model. We shelter people in congregations throughout the city. So you can imagine a weather like this, we actually lose shelter beds. And so we all look at what assets we bring to the table. And a lot of times that is trust of relationships and to bring people in. And one thing that we are doing, we have -- we run a day center that also has an educational floor. We've even turned that floor into a makeshift shelter, bringing those in who are publicly intoxicated, medically fragile, have issues navigating those larger target shelters and mobility issues that would be a problem for them in larger shelters. There was a gentleman tonight who we brought in who -- he's wearing a boot recently out of the hospital with surgery of -- he got a plate and several screws, and that doesn't look like a major issue, but even the journey to get to the cold weather shelter would be complicated for him.

SANDOVAL: Sure. And that's great that you are doing that, Rachel. Now, are winter storm events of this magnitude, are they common in the part of the country that you're in. And if so, do some folks perhaps underestimate the dangers?

HESTER: No, absolutely not. The last time I remember anything like this was about '93, '94, the winter of that, and half of our city had lost power. And so the other half had to respond to the needs of their neighbors. And we usually get a very mild winter. And I do think we underestimate Mother Nature at times and we definitely wait too late.

I know that I have -- I have anxiety. I cannot be the only one. So I think that's why we have to -- we have to plan and really coordinate with everyone. So that one agency -- if I had everyone in my building and we lost power, that would be a catastrophe. We've got to be working together.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Yes. Now look, I grew up in the south moving to New York. I was in for a rude awakening. If you just don't really just fully appreciate just how dangerous this weather can certainly be.

What are your biggest concerns as we head into Sunday and perhaps the days ahead?

HESTER: Losing power, I think would be catastrophic. Not just for those who are unhoused, but those who are recently housed, that don't have a huge support system or those who are elderly or I mean, literally anyone. I worry about our first responders, that they're being spread very thin --

SANDOVAL: Yes.

HESTER: -- during these times as well. They're doing a lot of wellness checks on individuals. We arm them with snack bags so that when they meet someone on the street, they have an opening line, they can offer something so that they are perceived as a person of trust. You know, and I just -- I worry about not just planning for the immediate impact, but how do we come out of this and how do we return to normal? We're going to have to open up when we say we open up.

We're going to have to provide the services. On Monday morning, we will have to provide a meal for 250 individuals. And --

SANDOVAL: Yes. HESTER: -- I won't have volunteers. I may not have power. So we're having to figure that out as well.

SANDOVAL: Oh my gosh. But that's wonderful to hear. You're essentially deputizing some of those first responders to join you in your mission to get the word out.

HESTER: Absolutely. We're -- currently, we're in a shelter in place situation. We don't want --

SANDOVAL: Yes.

HESTER: -- people to leave the shelters they're in. Everyone's staying in place, taking care. But we do believe Monday morning people will have kind of -- you worn out their welcome with each other and be looking for alternatives.

[02:50:11]

So our police, our WeGo transportation system, the mission office of homeless services, our outreach workers, we all have to work together to make sure that people feel that they're somewhere safe and can get there safely.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Rachel Hester, thank you and your amazing team of volunteers and your workers who are out there making sure that people stay safe and warm. Really appreciate it. And thank you for bringing us up to speed on the situation there in Nashville.

HESTER: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: We're going to continue to follow two massive breaking news stories at this hour. The latest on the fatal shooting in Minnesota as well as an update on that severe weather we were just discussing impacting millions of Americans. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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SANDOVAL: Back to our breaking news out of Minneapolis. Tensions are escalating after a man was shot and killed by federal agents there. Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse who worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital. A warning, the video we're about to show you is graphic. It is disturbing.

Homeland Security says that the agents fired in self-defense, saying that Pretti approached border patrol officers with a nine millimeter semiautomatic handgun. Now, they are not saying that he actually brandished the weapon. But the videos, including this one here, appear to show more of what happened. It shows Pretti in a baseball hat moving between an agent and a woman that federal officers had shoved to the ground. Pretti is sprayed with a chemical irritant and then dragged to his knees.

[02:55:23]

Officers later opened fire at least 10 times while he is on the ground.

And a crippling winter storm moving across the U.S. it could dump more than a foot of snow in some areas. Forecasters are warning that dangerous ice will continue accumulating, bringing down trees and power lines. In fact, we're already getting reports of some power outages that are increasing and conditions on those roads deteriorating. The snow and ice they are pushing east, stretching 1,300 miles right now.

Airlines, they've already been hit hard with cancellations. Nearly 15,000 flights between Saturday and Monday already not happening. And the number keeps climbing, that's according to trekking site FlightAware. But some people, they are still trying to make the best of a bad situation. You have these folks enjoying some of the snow out of Little Rock, Arkansas, showing people skiing while others also sledding down the hill.

Look, when life gives you snow and if it's safe, you got to take advantage, right?

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval. We'll be right back with you with more breaking news coverage after a short break.

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