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'Betrays our most basic values': Ex US President Joe Biden slams Minneapolis shootings
Biden’s remarks come amid widespread outrage after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on January 24 and earlier killed Renee Good on January 7 in Minneapolis
- PUBLISHED: Tue 27 Jan 2026, 9:08 PM
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Former US President Joe Biden condemned the recent violence in Minneapolis, saying the shootings and treatment of citizens in protests contradict “our most basic values as Americans” and urging full, transparent investigations into the deaths of two US citizens.
"We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalised for exercising their constitutional rights. We are not a nation that tramples the 4th Amendment and tolerates our neighbors being terrorised," Joe Biden wrote in a statement posted on social media platform X.
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Biden praised Minnesota residents for standing firm in “unimaginable circumstances”.
"The people of Minnesota have stood strong — helping community members in unimaginable circumstances, speaking out against injustice when they see it, and holding our government accountable to the people.
"Minnesotans have reminded us all what it is to be American, and they have suffered enough at the hands of this Administration. Violence and terror have no place in the United States of America, especially when it’s our own government targeting American citizens," he wrote.
Biden's comments follow a wave of outrage sparked by the fatal shooting of 37‑year‑old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents on January 24 and the earlier killing of 37‑year‑old Renee Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7 in Minneapolis.
The former president also emphasised the need for accountability, calling for “full, fair, and transparent investigations” into the incidents.
"No single person can destroy what America stands for and believes in, not even a President, if we — all of America — stand up and speak out. We know who we are. It's time to show the world. More importantly, it's time to show ourselves."
He extended condolences and support to the families and communities of Pretti and Good, urging that justice be pursued in their deaths.
