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Man Shot and Killed by Fed. Agents in Minneapolis; Gov. Walz Calls on Trump to Order ICE to Leave Minnesota; Man Fatally Shot in Minneapolis Identified as Alex Pretti; Protests Against Immigration Crackdown Across U.S.; Power Outages Mount, Roads Close as Winter Storm Slams U.S.; At Least 20 States Declare State of Emergency Amid Storm. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 25, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

We are following two major stories this hour. The monster winter storm plowing through much of the United States, bringing snow, ice and blackouts with it. Nearly a quarter of a million people right now are without power. More on that in just a moment.

But we are beginning with the third shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. Public anger is reaching new levels in Minnesota after Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Hospital, was shot and killed by federal agents during a protest on Saturday. His family says that in moments before he was killed, Pretti was trying to protect a woman that ICE agents had pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.

CNN has examined video of that deadly encounter and a quick warning, it is graphic and it is disturbing. The video shows several federal agents wrestling Pretti to the ground. At least one agent appears to be kicking him. Later in the video, federal agents fired at least 10 gunshots. The Department of Homeland Security say officers took this handgun from Pretti and fired in self-defense. However, at no point in any of the videos reviewed by CNN can he be seen holding a weapon.

And Minneapolis police say he was a lawful gun owner with a permit. Still, Trump administration officials are calling Pretti a domestic terrorist. Here's what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says.

(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)

HUNTE: Meanwhile, a federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to the shooting. This includes evidence allegedly already removed from the scene or taken into exclusive federal custody. Minnesota officials requested the order after suing the Trump administration earlier on Saturday. Governor Tim Walz says video disproves the Trump administration's, quote, "nonsense and lies" about how the shooting unfolded. And Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sends this message to the U.S. president.

(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)

HUNTE: Things are quieter for now in the neighborhood where Alex Pretti was fatally shot. CNN Law Enforcement Correspondent Whitney Wild has more details from Minneapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We are a couple of blocks away from where the 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 sub-zero 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:05:00]

HUNTE: Minnesota state officials say federal immigration agents are exclusively at fault in the killing of Alex Pretti. Here's what Governor Tim Walz has to say to the U.S. president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D-MN): 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 faiths 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)

HUNTE: U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino accused Alex Petty of trying to, quote, "massacre law enforcement." Here's what he told reporters earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGORY BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER-AT-LARGE: As DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien, Jose Huerta-Chuma, you can see this illegal alien on the screen to my left and right. That is Jose Huerta-Chuma, whose criminal history includes domestic assault to intentionally inflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.

During this operation, an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots. The suspect also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID. This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. The officer was highly trained and had been serving as a Border Patrol agent for eight years. The officer has extensive training as a range safety officer and less lethal officer. The suspect had a gun and magazines full of ammunition. In what looks like a situation again where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.

I want to reiterate what President Donald Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, myself, Director Marcos Charles, and so many others have said time and again. If you obstruct a law enforcement officer or assault a law enforcement officer, you are in violation of the law and will be arrested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: However, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe says that explanation doesn't hold up to scrutiny. This is what he told us earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST AND FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: At the core of it, you have an unbelievable tragedy where it appears that a potentially unarmed person was essentially assassinated by horrible law enforcement tactics that dramatically escalated this situation. But, you know, they're just -- there are so many questions here. At the absolute core of lethal force training in the FBI Academy, in the Academy at Glencoe, Georgia, where DHS agents, ICE agents, Border Patrol folks go through, you are taught from the very beginning that if you use your weapon, you have to be able to, after the fact, articulate exactly why you perceived an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.

And so, the question now is, when are we going to hear that articulation? What is the reason that these officers or a single officer, we don't know how many people shot, believe they were an imminent threat of death by this person who was, by every video we've seen, on the ground with anywhere from four to five officers on top of him at the same time? Nowhere in these videos do you see a weapon in this man's hand.

[04:10:00]

And so, while Commander Bovino's statement was very artfully written, yes, they encountered someone who had a gun, it is not clear that that man ever presented the gun, brandished the gun, pointed the gun at anyone, threatened to -- you know, to harm any of these officers. So, what's the excuse for having to use lethal force here? We have no idea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: For more, we're joined from Minneapolis by Cleo Krejci. She's a state government reporter for the Minnesota Post. Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

CLEO KREJCI, STATE GOVERNMENT REPORTER, THE MINNESOTA POST: I'm OK, how are you?

HUNTE: I'm good, I'm good. At 4:10 a.m., let's go. What are investigators and local officials now saying about the shooting of Alex Pretti? Because we've heard so much frustration from Governor Walz, and not for the first time. You cover state government. How are lawmakers managing this?

KREJCI: I think lawmakers are continuing to call for collection of evidence and attention on the facts of what's happening. We all saw the videos that came out today. Additionally, we saw some action today in preserving the crime scene of the shooting this morning, or there was a lawsuit related to that. So, I think people just want to make sure that what is happening is documented accurately in Minneapolis.

HUNTE: I have to say, this is obviously so shocking. What do we know about Alex Pretti himself, his background, his legal right to carry a firearm, and how he's now being characterized?

KREJCI: So, the information about Alex Pretti has trickled out through today. Of course, the world now knows his name, but this morning, he was a person who showed up on Nicollet Avenue. We have been reading in local news reports that he was an ICU nurse, and he arrived at the scene and was said to have been helping direct traffic this morning. He was 37 years old. So, it's similar to Renee Good, where we're learning personal details almost hour by hour as journalists speak with family and friends.

HUNTE: State investigators say they were initially blocked from accessing the scene. Can you break down for me, how unusual is that? And what questions does it raise about transparency and accountability here?

KREJCI: I think people here are asking that question almost hour by hour. They are wondering who is leading the investigation, how are details being collected, and whether that's being done by state or local officials. I can say I was at the scene this morning. I arrived about an hour after the shooting took place, and there were federal agents there. By the time I left around, well, probably three or four hours later, the federal agents had left, and the area was just surrounded -- just people everywhere. It did not feel like a typical crime scene that is blocked off and you can't walk around whatsoever.

And so, I think it does raise a lot of questions about transparency for people in the state who just want to make sure that what has happened is investigated.

HUNTE: This shooting has happened at an already wildly tense time. Have you noticed a change in the atmosphere in Minneapolis since the death of Renee Good?

KREJCI: Certainly, yes. I mean, the shooting of Renee Good happened just a couple weeks ago here, and I think when we woke up this morning and learned that another shooting took place, it disturbed a lot of people here because the fact patterns do feel similar. You know, like I mentioned, watching these videos get posted online and learning information about what happened in real time. And, of course, Renee Good was, as we've been told, observing a law enforcement action as it took place, and it appears that Alex was doing something similar. And so, for the city, I think the atmosphere is, in one case, it's similar to how it was after Renee Good was shot and killed, but it has escalated, certainly, because it's a second person now who has died.

[04:15:00]

HUNTE: Yes. So much has already happened over the past few weeks, but what should viewers be watching for next, both legally and on the streets of Minneapolis in the coming days?

KREJCI: Well, I think everyone is watching to see how the state and local officials continue to interact with the federal officials, whether or not there are more National Guard troops deployed or, you know, even something more severe, such as military forces. If President Trump does choose to invoke the Insurrection Act, as he has suggested, that is possible. Of course, that's been a suggestion that he's raised for a long, long time, not just in the Minneapolis case.

But regardless, people just want to know what happens next without -- I guess what I'm trying to say is we don't know what's happening next, and we all really would like some clarity in the city, because it does feel tense and confusing and scary for a lot of people.

HUNTE: Well, it is a scary time, and it's such a heavy story as well. So, thank you so much for staying up late for us. We appreciate it, and we appreciate your reporting as well. Cleo Krejci, thank you.

KREJCI: Thank you.

HUNTE: The protests over ICE and heavy-handed federal force do not end in Minnesota. Demonstrators are protesting immigration crackdowns all across the US. You can see the scenes here, from Denver to Washington, D.C. People held up placards calling for ICE to be abolished, and crowds gathered in Los Angeles where a candlelight vigil was held on Saturday.

OK. Tens of millions of Americans are under winter alerts as dangerous snow and ice begin to paralyze parts of the U.S. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. A monster winter storm is intensifying as it sweeps across the U.S. It's bringing heavy snow and crippling ice that's now stretching 1,300 miles and moving east. More than 250,000 homes and businesses have already lost power as freezing temperatures now set in. That is according to the latest update from poweroutage.us.

We are getting reports of at least 11 storm-related injuries in Oklahoma and the National Guard and Highway Patrol teams have rescued at least 13 stranded drivers since the storm began. Video out of Arkansas shows just how intense the storm is getting with cars sliding off the slick roadways. The state's Department of Transportation says all roads in Arkansas are showing winter weather impacts. As the Northeast braces for the storm, officials there are urging people to stay off of the roads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven't seen in years. It is going to present very dangerous conditions for travel.

MAYOR MICHELLE WU (D), BOSTON: When we think about snow, we think about how much we're going to get, how many inches total, but also how fast it comes down because that's how fast our plows and our teams will need to work to keep the roads clear. At that pace of potentially two to three inches per hour, we could be in whiteout conditions. And so, we really will need everyone to stay off the roads wherever possible and give our crews the space to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: OK. Let's keep talking about it. We're going live to storm chaser Aaron Rigsby. He's joining me now from Florence, Kentucky. Aaron, thank you for being out there in absolute freezing cold for us. We appreciate it. Can you just give us an idea of what you've seen over the past few hours and how quickly have conditions changed where you are?

AARON RIGSBY, STORM CHASER: Yes, good morning. I tell you really just in the last hour or two, conditions have really deteriorated. The snowfall rates have drastically increased and it's only going to get worse from here. We can see snowfall rates anywhere from one to up to two inches per hour. And this is the entrance to the interchange of I- 71 and I-75, one of those main arteries that comes out of Cincinnati. You can tell it's just completely snow covered. Crews are working as quickly as they can, but when you have snowfall rates like this, even for a very prepared Midwest area, that's no stranger to winter storms. It's hard for them to keep up.

And it's really been the case since I started covering this down in Mississippi yesterday. It typically takes about seven to eight hours to get up here from that area. Yesterday, it took me almost 12 hours to get up here to show you how widespread these conditions exist.

HUNTE: Oh, my goodness, that is a long, long way. For people watching who may not be familiar with winter weather and how it impacts the U.S., what is it about this storm that makes it so dangerous compared to a more typical snow event?

RIGSBY: Well, there's several factors that are going into this one. The first one is the sheer magnitude. We're talking about a storm that's expanding over 2,000 miles, anywhere from New Mexico all the way to Massachusetts. And the second one is that we already have these hazards that we deal with, these snow storms that a lot of folks are used to, but it's that bitter cold that is going to be following this storm system. And it's why it's not only just creating hazards, but it could create life-threatening situations, especially if you get stranded on the highways.

And that's not necessarily just limited to being stranded out here on the highways. We're talking about those power outages down in the south and potentially up here, as well as that snow gets weighed down on those power lines. When the power goes out, you need ways to stay warm. And that's why we express so much about having extra supplies like food, water, gas, and warm clothing in case you experience those power outages or you get stranded while out and about trying to get to work.

HUNTE: Ice has been a major concern across the region. What are road conditions like right now? And how difficult is it for emergency crews and drivers to move around safely?

RIGSBY: Well, I tell you right now, for the average person driving on the interstates, it's nearly impossible. It's very slow moving, probably no more than 20 miles an hour.

[04:25:00]

And that's why we express a lot to folks, especially being on a Sunday, if you can, to just stay home. Because all it takes is one accident or one person getting stuck to cause a huge backup on these main arteries. And then it puts those snowplows behind and makes an already hard situation even harder to keep up with, especially with these heavier snowfall rates.

And for some perspective of the numbers that we're going to be dealing with around here, especially in Ohio, some of the numbers that we can see haven't been seen since the blizzard of 1978. Now, we're not going to have the blizzard conditions that we had with that, but it shows you how long even a very snow-prone Midwest is for this storm and the numbers that we're going to be dealing with. So, if you can, just stay home, let the crews work and get those roadways clear for the Monday commute.

HUNTE: All right. Well, we definitely hear what you're saying. And thank you so much for your work out there. This is journalism. Look at those scenes. Crazy. Aaron Rigsby, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

The storm is creating misery for air travel, too, with flight cancellations absolutely soaring. The FlightAware tracking site says more than 4,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday. And Sunday is already the worst day for cancellations in the past year, with nearly 10,000 canceled. The last day to have the most cancellations was November 9th with 1,900.

OK. Still to come. Trump administration officials say the Minnesota nurse who was killed by federal agents was trying to attack them. What the video shows ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

Back now with breaking news out of Minneapolis. Tensions are escalating after a man was shot and killed by federal agents. Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital. A warning, this video is graphic and disturbing.

[04:30:00]

Homeland Security says the agents fired in self-defense, saying Pretti approached Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. But videos including this one do suggest otherwise. They show Pretti in a baseball hat moving between an agent and a woman. Federal officers shoved into the ground. Pretti is sprayed with a chemical irritant and dragged to his knees. Officers later opened fire at least 10 times while he is on the ground.

For more analysis, law enforcement expert Sunny Slaughter joins us from Washington, D.C. She's also a litigation expert with more than three decades of experience and currently serves as an instructor at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Thank you so much for being with me, Sonny, at this wild hour. How are you doing?

SUNNY SLAUGHTER, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND LITIGATION EXPERT: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

HUNTE: It's good to see you.

SLAUGHTER: It's early.

HUNTE: It's good to see you. It is very early. At what point does enforcement activity escalate into a public safety crisis and who is responsible for slowing that escalation once it actually begins?

SLAUGHTER: All of us are responsible for slowing down the rhetoric, which has then heightened all of this escalation that we are seeing. Unfortunately, the escalation is not just about the moment that a firearm is discharged, but it is about tactical response, visibility, credibility, posture, and communication, and what happens in those moments before the shot is fired and then directly after.

And what we are seeing right now is a crisis in the community between law enforcement, operational tactics that seem extreme, that are potentially extreme, but that are legally enforceable because people are getting very upset behind all of this.

Protestors, I urge them not to walk up on law enforcement at any time, whether it's federal, state, local law enforcement. They need to film from a distance and remove themselves from any type of violence. This is not to say that they are wrong. They have a right to protest. They have a right to peacefully protest. But this type of escalation only drives a narrative where the community is being violated, law enforcement tactical operations are misunderstood, and they are driven not by training, but by directives.

HUNTE: What does this incident say to communities about safety and accountability when multiple law enforcement agencies operate in the same space?

SLAUGHTER: What it says is that law enforcement is acting recklessly and that the community does not feel safe. The community does not feel heard. They are alarmed by some of the actions, and who wouldn't necessarily be alarmed by all of this? But what has to happen is everything needs to slow down. Everyone needs to slow down. And we need to get back to having relationships and conversations that matter. And this is really not helpful, the rhetoric, the hype.

Our leaders need to sit down together to figure out how to be strategic in their communication, to be strategic in the enforcement of what they're trying to do, and also calm the waters because local law enforcement, they are being pressed up against all of the rhetoric and the backlash in the community. And this is not helpful because they have to operate in the community long after this enforcement has taken place.

HUNTE: And on that, how are local police departments expected to manage the fallout of federal actions that they don't actually control themselves?

SLAUGHTER: Unfortunately, they're having a tough time, and they will have a tough time because when people hear law enforcement, they think broadly, they think one lens. And these are not local law enforcement participating in immigration issues, which they should not be doing, but they are trying to navigate the fallout, which is happening.

And local law enforcements are being stressed and pressed, not only in their time and resources, but in their manpower and things that they are being pulled away from. They are being pulled away from community resources and actions that are happening every single day. They're being pulled away from criminal investigations, responses to regular calls from local members of the community. And they also are not funded in a way that makes this tactically responsible. And they're tired. They are tired.

[04:35:00]

HUNTE: Looking ahead a bit, when public trust has already been broken in a way that we've seen, what does restoring that public confidence actually require in moments like this?

SLAUGHTER: That's such a good question. It requires calm instead of chaos. It requires strategic communication instead of rhetoric that is heated and hot, and everyone coming from their own place of lens and language, and their understanding of the law. It requires the ability to say, let's reset. Let's connect with the community. Let's look at our tactical operations and see how they can be done with transparency, building relationships, accountability, and communication and empathy.

What we don't see right now is any of that happening, because everyone's in their corner. When I conduct law enforcement litigation cases and oversee officer-involved shooting, it requires an unbiased lens. What we are seeing now is very biased in its lens, very biased in its rhetoric, and very biased in its tactical response to everything and everyone.

The community needs to feel safe. It does not. And we need to, as a global society, take humanity in, possession, again, as our forefront of our lens. But we also need to respect the law and that operations need to take place. Everyone needs to calm down, slow down, and reset. And the leaders need to lead with not only compassion, but connectivity, operational communications, and to see that this is not working how it is. It is only escalating, and that should not continue.

HUNTE: OK. Learned a lot from that. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you staying up so late for us. Sunny Slaughter, appreciate it.

SLAUGHTER: Thank you for having me.

HUNTE: Thank you. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted this how-to graphic on X following the deadly shooting in Minneapolis. His three steps for individuals to avoid ICE comes as he and other Trump officials cast blame for the killing onto Minnesota leadership and quote, "lunatics in the street.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes has more on the Trump administration's response to this tragic event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 from 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 her messaging with the White House beforehand. One thing to keep in mind is, President, as 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 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 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.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: All right. A race around the clock as a massive winter storm bears down on a massive chunk of the U.S. We'll speak to the Transportation Secretary for North Carolina about how his state is responding. See you soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

HUNTE: A crippling winter storm moving across the U.S. could dump more than a foot of snow in some areas. Forecasters warn that dangerous ice will continue to accumulate, bringing down trees and power lines and leaving thousands without power for days.

The weather system is due to bring record cold. More than half of all Americans are expected to experience sub-zero wind chills in the coming days. The storm has already created a travel nightmare. Nearly 15,000 flights have been canceled into Monday, and that number is expected to grow.

Let's get more from North Carolina, where Daniel Johnson is Secretary of Transportation. He's in the capital of Raleigh for us. Daniel, thank you so much for being here. You have been very clear about urging people to stay off of the roads unless absolutely necessary. Can you just give us a sense of how conditions look across North Carolina right now and which areas you're most concerned about?

DANIEL JOHNSON, NORTH CAROLINA SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Well, this really is a statewide storm. It started rolling in last night, and we anticipate getting more impacts throughout the day today. We've got a fairly extensive road network that we're responsible for of 81,000 miles. We anticipate this storm will impact almost every one of those miles.

Our primary impacts will probably be from Charlotte to Raleigh in the central part of the state, but we've been treating roads all week. Starting early this week began our preparations. We've been treating the roads all week long and will continue to work around the clock throughout the storm to restore those roads.

HUNTE: You have warned that some parts of the state could see winter weather that they haven't experienced in years. What specifically makes this system so dangerous for travel, especially in a state that doesn't routinely deal with this level of ice and snow? JOHNSON: We do get occasional ice and snow, but nothing of this size. It's been decades probably since we've had a storm that's forecast of this size and particularly a storm that's statewide. So, that's why we're concerned. We want everybody to stay home. It's hard to keep those roads open, and we want to make sure that everybody remains safe.

With ice versus snow, it's particularly challenging. As you mentioned, we'll probably see limbs fall, some trees fall, could have power lines down. So, the hazards increase with ice. It's also more difficult to clear ice than it is snow.

[04:45:00]

So, this is a serious storm. We are strongly encouraging everyone to stay home unless absolutely necessary.

HUNTE: Can you tell us a bit more about what work your crew's been doing to prepare for this moment? Because we were given some warning. And is there a point where roads just become too unsafe, no matter what crews can do?

JOHNSON: Yes, fortunately, we had really good coordination with our partners of the National Weather Service. We got the forecast earlier this week that it looked like we'd have a significant winter event this weekend. So, we began early this week bolstering our supplies of salt and then began applying salt brine 48 hours before the storm hit. We applied over 3.6 million gallons of brine across the state network. And so, pretreating those roads helps with the clearance once the storm hits. So, now, we're transitioning into adding salt and sand in our mixes, and we'll treat the ice.

It is possible that despite our best efforts, roads will become impassable if they accumulate a significant amount of ice. We will do our best to stay on top of those roads, treat them as quickly as possible and get people moving again.

HUNTE: Once this storm does pass, what happens next? I know it's still very early, but how long do you expect recovery to take? And what should residents expect to see in the days after the weather clears?

JOHNSON: Well, as you mentioned, this storm, if we're going to get ice today and into tonight, and then it's going to be followed by bitter cold. So, the cold will prolong the recovery effort with wind chill temperatures going down into single digits across the state. It's going to make it harder to clear that ice. It may linger for days, particularly on secondary roads. Our primary focus will be on the interstates and U.S. highways, and then we'll work our way to secondary roads.

But with this bitter cold, people could experience power outages and it could create some challenges for days to come.

HUNTE: Do you have any advice for drivers who may think that the danger ends once the snow or ice stops falling? JOHNSON: Don't fool yourself into thinking that just because the precipitation has stopped that the roads are clear. Make sure you're checking your way. We wish out a lot of information about the conditions of the roads. So, we provide a lot of information online that people can check. Make sure you're checking those conditions. Make sure the roads are clear before you venture out, because we don't anticipate all roads being cleared when the storm passes.

HUNTE: OK. We'll leave it there for now. We really appreciate your time. Daniel Johnson, thank you so much.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

HUNTE: OK. We will have more breaking news coverage of the deadly shooting in Minneapolis. Still ahead, we'll hear a neighbor's perspective on the kind of person that Alex Pretti was. Stay with us on CNN.

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[04:50:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Let's get you up to speed with two breaking stories that we're keeping an eye on this hour. One is a monster winter storm in the U.S., now stretching from Texas to New England. It is bringing snow and dangerous ice to an area covering 2,000 miles, more than 230,000 homes and businesses and counting have lost power, while about 16,000 flights will be canceled through Monday.

And in Minneapolis, questions are now growing about a second deadly shooting this month involving immigration agents. Officials say Alex Pretti was shot in self-defense while resisting an attempt to disarm him on Saturday. But a CNN analysis of videos appears to show that he was shot after his weapon was already taken away. Police say he did have a gun permit, too.

The National Rifle Association is weighing in on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti after comments made by a Trump-appointed prosecutor angered the organization. The top federal prosecutor of Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, appeared to prejudge the case involving Pretti. In a post on social media, Essayli, quote -- said, "If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don't do it."

To which the NRA responded that the prosecutor was, quote, "dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens." The gun rights group Condemnation also runs counter to the quick pronouncements of other administration officials.

CNN spoke with Alex Pretti's neighbor. He told our Sara Sidner that Pretti was not the person described by immigration officials.

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CHRIS GRAY, ALEX PRETTI'S NEIGHBOR: Alex was my 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. This is not about crime. It's not about fraud.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Greg Bovino, one of the commanders with ICE, made these statements about Alex after he was killed by ICE agents, saying that he came here to massacre law enforcement agents. Does that match the person that you know, the neighbor that came over to your home when you had a housewarming?

GRAY: This is the same Greg Bovino who's overseeing the massacre of my neighbors, who drove around my neighborhood throwing tear gas with a motorcade and then ran for cover when people nonviolently disrupted him. Everything they say about my neighbors is a lie. These are ordinary people who are trying to keep their neighborhood together and to stay whole.

And that's why I think the next step is to have a mass nonviolent march. We need another general strike to shut down the flow of profits to Trump and his billionaire allies, because that's what it's going to take to win.

SIDNER: When you talk about Alex, there is a whole apparatus here, right, where people text each other and they tell each other what's going on, and they use whistles if they see ICE in the neighborhood. Was he part of that? Was he here because he wanted to protest and ask ICE to leave the community?

GRAY: At this point, everyone's a part of that. Everyone has a whistle, and every shop there's a know your rights training. The whole community is standing together against this occupation of ICE, which is part of a divide and rule tactic that the Trump regime is pushing on us because they have no answers for the real issues that working class people face.

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My health care bills will not go down because of these deportations. I won't get a job because of these deportations. My life will not improve, and it doesn't make my life any better. This is about divide and rule and about terrorizing people, and that's what this occupation is about.

And that's what Alex was fighting for by taking film of someone getting abducted, and that's what they killed him for. And that's why I think the Alex I want people to remember was part of a mass nonviolent community resistance, and we need to do that again, but this time we need to make it bigger and stronger until they leave. And they don't just leave Minneapolis, but they leave everywhere. I don't want them to go from my city to some other city. I want this to end forever. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: CNN also spoke with a Minneapolis City Council member about what residents are looking for in the wake of yet another fatal shooting in their city. Here's a part of what she had to say.

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AISHA CHUGHTAI, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: I think the one thing that we want to see right now is for ICE to leave our communities. And, you know, I think that we want our state and local officials, our state and local law enforcement to step up and hold to account the people who murdered Alex Pretti this morning. And I think that's the type of leadership we're looking for from our state leaders and our state law enforcement.

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HUNTE: OK. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Victor Blackwell picks up our breaking news coverage after a very quick break. See you next week.

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